C.S.O.

Transfer 2 [My Skills]

 

“Ahahahahahahahaha…”

“……..”

“Ahaa..
haha..
sorry, Onii-chan.
I can't control myself.”

“……Tch..”

“Haa…
It can't be helped.
I can't help but laugh.
I thought Onii-chan broke the sword for using such an amazing skill, but…..
ahaha…”

 

Anna (Ruko) couldn't stop herself from laughing.

 

“…I log out now.”

Kuro feels irritated because he couldn't stand Anna's treatment anymore.
He immediately looked for the log-out menu from the window pane.

 

“Sorry, Onii-chan.
Don't be angry…
you know I'm just joking right?”

“…………….”

 

From whichever side you look at it, Anna really laughs at him. 

After telling Anna, they met at a restaurant in the early town.

At first, Anna looked anxious and worried, but after telling him how his sword was broken, Anna couldn't stop laughing.

 

“Sorry sorry.
This time I'll stop laughing.
…Seriously..”

“………Well…
how can I get a new sword?”

“First of all, I'll tell you about Onii-chan's skill, [Acid Blade].
That skill does amplify attacks, not only will the skill's effect continue to exist on the monsters Onii-chan attacks, but also will destroy Onii-chan's sword.”

“?”

 

Kuro didn't understand.

Realizing that, Anna seemed to have to explain it from the basic. 

First, she ordered Kuro to open his skill window menu.
And that's where he showed the skills explanation.

[Acid Blade]

Covering weapons with acid.
Unlimited duration as long as you have MP.

 

“Every weapon has durability, when durability runs out the sword will be crushed or broken.
In short, Onii-chan's sword is broken due to overuse of [Acid Blade].”

“Aha…
ha…”

 

Kuro laughed dryly.

Now Kuro knew why Anna was laughing at her.

He kept repeating it for an hour.
Until suddenly his sword broke while fighting a level 3 Big Boar.

Without a sword, he tried to use martial arts.

He could use Kamikiri-Ryu in the game, so he thought he could use martial arts.

He succeeded, but-

He runs out of HP and dies when hit by a monster attack.

Not knowing what to do, Kuro finally contacted Anna, but it's not connected. 

This is the story of Kuro for an hour in the CSO world.

 

“In short [Acid Blade] is like a double-edged sword isn't it.”

“Yup, but are Onii-chan sure you don't want to change the magic element?”

“What do you mean?”

“The dark element is actually unpopular.”

“……..”

 

He knew darkness was unpopular because it represented evil, but in the games shouldn't darkness be very popular?

Bad people or Chuunibyou would like that kind of thing.

But if it's not popular, there must be a pretty good reason.

 

“Let me explain so that novice players like Onii-chan can understand easily.
The dark element does have a stronger attack power than the other elements, but MP consumption will also increase.
Besides that, it will also have a bad impact on equipment.”

“Like Acid Blade?”

“Acid Blade will not only reduce the durability of ordinary weapons but also have an impact on rare weapons.”

“……..in other words-“

 

Anna nodded.

 

“Even if Onii-chan uses a rare or legendary weapon, Onii-chan's weapon will still be destroyed.”

“………huh?”

 

Is that the bad news or the good news? Kuro doesn't know.

 

“Not only that, if you want to repair a damaged weapon, you will need a lot of money and materials.
Now you know why it's not popular?”

“………..”

 

Now he knew why the dark element was unpopular.

Legendary weapons are weapons that are difficult to obtain.
If such a weapon is destroyed, it's uncertain to get the weapon that has the same power twice.

But that's when Kuro realized something.

 

“But if you don't use Acid Blade, then it doesn't effective, right?”

“Yes, but to produce a fatal attack, we must combine sword skills and magic skills.”

 

This game puts reality into the game too much.
Kuro immediately thought like that.

 

“Then what about other skills? For example [Dark Absorption]?”

“It's a kind of skill that can absorb a monster's HP and increase your own HP every time you attack.
It's a great skill, but it's a useless skill.”

“Eh?”

 

Did he pick a useless Skill anymore?

 

“Besides, if HP decreases, we can simply use Potions or healing magic.
Such skills are quite useful in times of crisis but less effective.
Then in battle usually rely more on support-type Libers.”

“…..Ug…”

 

He did choose a useless skill anymore.
However, the reality was too bitter to accept.
perhaps.

 

“That's it…
Oh yeah, now, do Onii-chan want to change elements? I think it's a good time because Onii-chan hasn't been playing for long.”

 

Kuro realized he was about to hear something unpleasant again.

 

“If it's for the best, why not?”

 

After thinking, he realized that he would definitely get an abnormal level and number of skill points again.
Changing while it hasn't been done any further, makes a lot of sense.

 

“Then let's delete Onii-chan's account and create a starting character again.”

“……………..You mean I have to repeat that long and complicated ritual?”

 

Anna smiled in response to Kuro.

 

“I don't want to.
I don't want to repeat that annoying process.
I'll just stick with the dark element.”

“Are Onii-chan sure?”

“Yes.
I won't change my mind.”

 

Kuro is just lazy to do something he doesn't like.
Anna knows that and decides to give up.

 

“It's not too late Onii-chan.
For your information, Liber that uses darkness element is less than 5 percent”

“………..uh? You mean out of 2 billion players, only 5 percent?”

 

5 percent of 2 billion.
That meant only about 10 million players.
10 million isn't quite a lot? That's not bad at all.

 

“Yup.
Most people prefer the fire and water elements.
So do you change your mind?”

 

Could that be the reason Ruko chose the water element?

 

“…No.
I think it's not too bad, after all, it's just a game, that's why I wanted to know the real reason you invited me to play.
You know I don't like games like this right?”

“Fufu…
I'm glad Onii-chan knows.
Onii-chan really knows the most about me…
Kyaaaa…
I'm glad…”

“Stop that.
Everyone is glancing at us strangely.”

“Ah forget them.
They're just jealous…kukuku…”

“…….”

 

Kuro just stayed silent and looked at Anna with a sharp gaze.
Anna knew that meant Kuro wanted Anna to immediately tell him the reason for buying VR and invite him to play CSO.

 

“Tch…
Onii-chan isn't fun to joke around with.
This is the reason Onii-chan doesn't have any friends.”

“That has nothing to do with it.”

“I know.
That's why .
.
.
I have something to ask you.”

“Hmm?”

“Onii-chan knows that in 3 months it will be my birthday right?”

“Yes.
Would you like to get a present now?”

“That's not it.
I was just thinking of getting a slightly different present this year.”

 

Even though in the Kuro family there is no tradition to celebrate birthdays, Kuro and Ruko always get gifts from each other every year.

No matter if it's expensive or cheap things, they agreed to always give gifts.

 

“Would you like a super new computer? It's a bit pricey, but I'm sure I can buy one if you want.”

 

Anna just smiled because she remembered that Kuro was like that.
She still remembered two years ago when it was her birthday.
Unlike Kuro, Ruko has been playing VR games since she was 8 years old.
That's what makes her one of the Top Players in every game she plays.

One day, someone hacked her computer so Ruko had to delete all accounts because of a virus.

Realizing her sadness, Kuro presents her with a sophisticated computer dedicated to playing VR games.
Not only that but computer security is also guaranteed.

Ruko was happy and surprised at the same time because the computer Kuro had given her was one of the most expensive computers at that time.

The computer is no longer used, but it is now neatly stored and has become Ruko's valuable item.

 

“No.
I said I wanted a different gift, that's why I bought VR.”

“………”

“Onii-chan, I want Onii-chan to go on a quest with me at CSO.”

“……Eh?”

 

Kuro was surprised and at the same time did not understand.
It was a strange request, but Kuro realized that Anna (Ruko) wasn't joking.

 

“Quests?”

 

Anna nodded.

 

“Um.
In CSO, the maximum party consists of 6 people.
But…
I want to form a party alone with Onii-chan to carry out the special Quest in the fourth world, Avantheim.”

“………”

“I want to fight and play games alone with Onii-chan as my birthday present.
Can Onii-chan do it?”

 

Anna's face drew closer to Kuro's.
So close that he could feel Anna's breath.

Kuro was both surprised and amazed that CSO was able to create such a thing, but at the same time, he kept asking if they were in a game.

Everyone would argue that CSOs are almost no different from the real world.

 

“O-okay.
I'll do it, but get a little away from me.”

 

Anna obeyed Kuro and showed a sweet smile.

 

“Yay..
Do Onii-chan promise?”

“I promise, but doesn't that mean-“

 

Knowing what Kuro meant, Ruko nodded in approval.

 

“Onii-chan has to play until he reaches the third world first.
I think 3 months is enough for Onii-chan to do it.”

“It's not technically impossible, but hasn't the third world just been cleared? What kind of quest are you referring to?”

“I don't know.
I only heard rumors that there is a Special Quest in the fourth world, that's why I want to go to the fourth world immediately.
Huhu..”

“You…
you've always been like this.
Fine, Onii-chan will do it, but there's one condition that you must fulfill, you got it!”

“OK.”

 

Because she was happy, Anna immediately answered.

 

“As long as I'm playing, you can't do weird things to my body in real life.
Can you do it?”

“Do You mean to not kiss you or fondle you?”

“…………yes.
…something like that.”

“Okay.
I promise.”

 

But Kuro realized one thing that he almost forgot.

 

“Oh yes, how to restore privacy beetw-“

“No.”

 

Kuro heard an answer that he didn't expect.
Even more frightening, Anna said that with a sweet smile.

 

“As before, the cancellation must also be done simultaneously.”

 

“In other words, you promise because you can do as much as you want here?”

“Yup.”

“………….”

 

Kuro immediately waved his hand, looked for the menu in the window pane, and logged out.

Anna just stayed where she was when she saw that.
She didn't try to stop Kuro or log out with him.

She know Kuro would keep his promise.
So there was no reason for her to worry that Kuro would run away and not keep his promise.

In the real world, Kuro opened his eyes and removed the VR gear from his head.

He looked at the clock on the table and saw that it was already 10 pm.

(I forgot to eat dinner.)

 

“Is Ruko having dinner?”

 

He wanted to know, but when he saw that his shirt was slightly open and showing a part of his chest, Kuro don't think about it anymore. 

While he was unconscious, what did Ruko do to his body?

 

“I guess I shouldn't know.”

 

While laughing bitterly, Kuro got up from the bed.

 

He felt his body slightly stiff and weak.
Maybe because he hasn't eaten and does training too much.

 

“Even though it's the most realistic game, it's still a game that won't fill you up…”

 

Kuro headed to the kitchen, but just as he was about to open the fridge for snacks, he found some Onigiri wrapped in plastic lying on the table.

There is a paper decorated with love written by Ruko.
Kuro then read it and smiled a little.

After that, Kuro ate Onigiri which was quite tasty and filled his stomach.

 

“……?”

 

Somehow Kuro smelled alcohol.
Who's drinking?

In that house, Kuro is the one who gets a lot of cooking rations.
It's not because Ruko can't cook.
However, Ruko can only make onigiri and curry.

Exhausting day.
After finishing the onigiri, Kuro decided to sleep.

The next day, Kuro woke up as usual at 5 am.

He got up early to run around town for an hour.
This is his daily routine, so it's no wonder he has quite a lot of physique and stamina.

He came back at 6.15 in a sweat.
He took off his jersey before opening his room, but when he opened his room he found Ruko on his bed hugging his shorts.

 

“………”

 

Kuro couldn't comment as it was his first time seeing this scene.

Realizing that Kuro has back, Ruko wakes up and smiles with a red face.

 

“Onii-chan, good morning..”

 

Ruko tried to hide Kuro's shorts behind her back.

Ruko should have known it was too late to do that, but apparently, she did it anyway.

Unlike Kuro, Ruko was already wearing her school uniform under a white apron.

At first glance, she looked like the perfect wife, but this was also normal for Kuro.
Even though she can only make curry and onigiri, Ruko can also make simple sandwiches for lunch and breakfast.

 

“You know, you look like a pervert now.
What if everyone found out about your bad habits at home?”

“Ehehe he..
when that time comes, Onii-chan will take the responsibility of marrying Ruko, right?'

“In your dreams.”

“Tch..”

 

Kuro finally ignores Ruko and her actions.
He chose to take a shower immediately so he doesn't miss the train.

After bathing, and wearing his uniform, Kuro had breakfast with Ruko.
Kuro didn't care even if he ate the same breakfast every day.
As long as it's nutritious, it's enough for him.

 

“Oh…
yes, why do you want to do a quest with me?”

“Um…because after doing that, I'll focus on studying so I can be accepted into the same school as Onii-chan.”

 

Ruko is currently in 3rd grade and will be graduating soon.
He wanted to go to the same school as Kuro.

But Kuro's school has a fairly strict and difficult entrance exam.
This is natural because Kuro's school is one of the best.

Even though Ruko got better grades than Kuro, she realized she couldn't relax.

 

“………don't give up Ruko, but don't you want another gift?”

 

When asked, Ruko took something out of her bag and gave it to Kuro.

 

“Please, Onii-chan's signature.”

 

A marriage form.
That's what Ruko gave.

 

“…………”

 

Kuro fell silent and immediately tore off the paper Ruko gave him.
He threw it into the trash but missed and scattered it on the floor.

 

“You're only at 3rd-grade middle schoolers, but already thinking about getting married.
Who taught you about that?”

“Chiaki-chan.”

 

Kuro knows who the girl Ruko is referring to.
Of course, he also knew the girl's bad habits.

 

“Don't get too close to her.
She's a bad influence on you.”

“Do not want to.”

“………..”

 

Hearing the painful answer, Kuro felt stabbed.

After breakfast, Kuro went to the station.

Ruko's school was quite close to their house, so they always separated after breakfast.

Kuro always arrived at school at the last minute so lessons started as soon as he arrived.

During his lunch break, he always looks for a cold place.

The classroom is his favorite, but he sometimes eats in the garden.
Of course alone, but since it wasn't too hot today, Kuro decided to go to the school roof.

There's no one.
That's natural because the roof is famous as a place for loners.

And Kuro is one of them.

 

“?!”

 

He sensed the presence of a person behind him, not only that, that person was attacking him from behind.

Kuro caught the fist that attacked him with his free left hand.

He could defend himself, this was easy for him, but that wasn't all Kuro did.

After catching it, Kuro gripped it tightly to not let the attacker escape.
Then use his strength to pull the person who attacked him.

The person who attacked him lost his balance.
Taking advantage of that, Kuro twisted and pushed the body of the person who attacked him onto the floor quite hard.

 

“You know, it hurts a little Kuro-chan.
……besides, can you get away from me?”

 

Kuro is currently on top of a girl.
His leg was also between the girl's crotch.

The girl's face turned red because she knew their position was a little dangerous and would make people misunderstand if they saw them.

 

“It was your fault, Chiaki.
Besides, why did you suddenly attack me from behind?”

“I'm just having fun, tehe…”

 

The girl named Chiaki stuck out her tongue like mocking.

Kuro let out a small sigh then got up and step away from Chiaki's body.
He then picked up the lunch that had fallen on the floor along with a book he had bought at the station.

Kuro intended to have lunch while reading a book.
That's the reason he went to the roof.

Kuro sat on the chair, opened his lunch, and ate the sandwich.
While his left hand opened the pages of a book.

Not far from him, Chiaki patted her uniform to get rid of the dust and dirt.
She also stroked her head which hurt a little from hitting the floor.

Chiaki was slightly surprised when she saw the book that Kuro currently read.
She smiled a little then went to Kuro's side and took Kuro's lunch.

 

“………….”

 

Kuro was silent because Chiaki had often taken his lunch without permission or asking in advance.
He was used to it and knew the bad nature of the girl named Chiaki.

Chiaki Megumi.
She is one of Kuro's friends that can be counted on with his fingers.
Not only that, Chiaki is actually Kuro's childhood friend.

Chiaki is shorter than Kuro by only a few centimeters.
Her hair is dark brown.
She has a slightly bigger chest than Ruko, but it's actually hard to tell which is bigger. 

Chiaki was currently wearing a uniform like Kuro, only on the outside, she was wearing a sweater.
Maybe because it's autumn now, so the weather is quite cold.

 

“I didn't know Kuro-chan was interested in CSO?”

 

Chiaki ate while swinging his legs back and forth like when playing on a swing.

The book that Kuro is reading is a guide to playing CSO.
Kuro had no other choice as he was a beginner in CSO.
Besides he had no gaming experience, so that was the only way Kuro could think of.

 

“That's it.
I made a promise, so there's no other choice.”

“Aha ha…
Ruko-chan actually asked you to play CSO? I really can't believe it.”

 

Kuro realized Chiaki was the mastermind behind all this.

 

“You were the one who suggested the marriage form too? Just so you k-“

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

 

She dodged right away.

 

“But if Ruko-chan has gone that far, aren't you lucky to have such a sweet wife?”

“Unfortunately I only think of Ruko as a sister.”

“Don't lie to yourself.
I know you actually like Ruko-chan too.”

“….what do you mean?”

“Aren't you a Siscon?”

“………..”

 

How can he be called Siscon? Kuro was very curious about it.

Kuro let out a small sigh.

 

“I'm hearing that for the first time.”

“Ara, don't you know? Everyone in this school knows you're a Siscon.
Isn't that the reason you're not looking for a girlfriend or getting close to a girl? I even thought the same thing.”

“…………what?”

“You know, Ruko-chan is very famous among the boys of this school.
Some even propose to Ruko-chan.
And you can guess what Ruko-chan's answer is.”

 

Ruko must have immediately rejected them all.

 

“….then?”

“One day someone asked me.
Does Ruko-chan already have a boyfriend? I just replied that she has an older brother who loves her very much and doesn't allow her to date he he…”

“In short, I was called Siscon because of you!”

“But I'm telling the truth, am I right?”

 

Chiaki stopped when her hand touched Kuro's hand who also took the last sandwich.

 

“What's wrong? Are you blushing?”

 

Kuro took the last sandwich and ate it.

Chiaki put her hands in front of her chest, then stood up.

 

“It's nothing, …..baka.”

“……?”

 

Chiaki suddenly left leaving Kuro alone.

Kuro was slightly relieved to finally be able to read in peace.

 

“ST system?”

 

ST system is the program that runs the CSO.
Thanks to the ST system, players can feel like the real world.
Kuro already knew that, but-

 

“Weird.”

 

ST system technology is too advanced.
You could say that technology should not be made in this era.
Could it be that D*raemon really came?

(I guess I don't have to think about unnecessary things.)

Kuro read the next page, but when he realized it was thicker than his textbook, he immediately lost his enthusiasm.

(I hate this….)

Kuro sighed then read again.

After school hours, Kuro came home as usual.

But before going home, he did some shopping at the mini market because he had run out of groceries.

When he got home, he found Ruko studying in her room.
This is Ruko's habit and a condition for her to be free to play VR games.

While Ruko was studying, Kuro practiced kendo at the dojo as usual.

After training and bathing, Kuro prepared dinner for Ruko.
He was going to play, but he realized it was better to eat first.

Games are games.
They can't overplay and forget reality.

After having dinner and doing the most important thing, which is making sure Ruko is logged in first, Kuro finally login to the world of CSO as well.

The light was as distorted as before, after opening his eyes, he arrived at the same place as yesterday, the city of Beginnings.

Kuro waved his hand and brought up the menu window.
He saw Anna's status was online.
Kuro immediately sighed in relief.

He can play freely today.

 

“First, I have to buy a new weapon.”

 

Kuro stepped into a shop owned by an NPC.
Thanks to the manual, he now knew what to do if his sword broke again.

He was a little surprised when the cheapest sword cost 1500 ruk.
It make him run out of money, but on second thought, it was better than not having any weapon. 

After having a weapon, he went to the forest like before.

As he expected, he would be confronted by a monster.

 

[Bloody Wolf] level 3.
Total 5.

 

Like yesterday, the wolf in front of him really resembled a real wolf in the real world.

 

“Now let's start, first…
[Dark Flame]”

 

He concentrated and thought about the skill he would use.
First, he used Dark Flame.

He pointed his hand towards the Bloody Wolf.
A ball of black fire the size of a basketball appeared and flew toward one of the Bloody Wolf.

In terms of speed, you could say the ball flew slowly.
Even so, there was no sign of missing the mark.
Kuro knows this is the effect of the auxiliary system as well as the status effect it has

Bloody Wofl is hit and HP is reduced, but only about 40 percent.
He looked at his MP bar which had only lost 3 percent.

(I think it's natural since it's still level one.)

Currently, Kuro's skill is still level one except for Acid Blade which has risen to level 3.
He is aware that skills also have EXP so the more often they are used, the skill level will rise.

(But the higher the skill level, the longer the skill level will rise.)

In other words, the same as the player level.

To overcome this problem, players will use Soul Points to increase skill levels, but the Soul Points needed are often more than one.
This is quite detrimental considering that Soul Points will only increase if the player's level rises.
And even then only one Soul Point.

This is the reason players have to be careful when choosing skills.
Although the CSO does not limit the number of player skills, the more skills they have, the more complicated it is to raise the skill level.

(In that case, I carelessly chose many skills.)

Currently, Kuro has 10 skills.

 

>>[Dark Flame]

>>[Dark Absorption]

>>[Acid Blade]

>>[Raising]

>>[Vital Curse]

 

He chose 5 more because when his level rose to 14, another skill choice appeared.

 

>>[Life Absorption]

>>[Dark Counter]

>>[Steal]

>>[Night Vision]

>>[Illusion]

 

He chose without thinking so he had a lot of skills.
Kuro's current status,

 

[Soul Level >>14]

[Soul Points >>1]

 

<>

 

>>[Shadow Bullet]

>>[Tornado]

>>[Shadow Slash].

 

Today he wanted to know all the uses of each skill after that devised a plan to use it.

He had already used Dark Flame and Acid Blade, but he still had a lot to do.

He also realized that an abnormal starting level didn't mean he was great.
It will only make the HP, MP, ATK, DEF, DEX, INT, MIND, LUK, and SPEED status the same as a level 13 player.

 

[Note: [ATK: physical attack.], [DEF: physical defense.], [DEX: weapon precision/attack], [INT: magic attack], [MIND: magic defense.], [LUX: luck (Item Drop) )], [SPEED: speed] ]

Surprisingly enough, his LUX status was higher than any other status.

Unfortunately, even though he had the status of a level 13 player, his skills and equipment were the same as those of a level 2 player.

If you think about it, he only excels in endurance and the number of attacks.

Summing all that up, the Bloody Wolf moved towards Kuro.

Just like in the real world, Bloody Wolf attacked in groups.

Now, what skill will Kuro try?

As the wolves drew near, Kuro decided to use-

 

“[Shadow Bullet]”

 

This time he attacked using a sword skill.

Kuro's body instantly shot up as it kicked the ground like a bullet toward one of the Bloody Wolf whose HP bar was still full.
He stopped a few meters behind the surviving Bloody Wolf.
He noticed that it seemed [Shadow Bullet] had a certain distance.
Kuro calculated and then knew the effective distance was only 10 meters.

As expected, the sword skill made Liber move automatically following the skill pattern.
Inwardly Kuro felt displeased because he knew sword skills made martial arts training useless.

Ignoring that, the impact of his attack make the HP bar instantly empty in an instant and made the Bloody Wolf disappear into particles.

(My attacks are on par with a level 13 player, they're only level 3.
I guess it's natural for them to die right away.)

The four remaining wolves attacked Kuro simultaneously from 4 directions.

 

“Alright, let's try another [Tornado]”

 

Kuro's body rotated 360 degrees at high speed attacking the Bloody Wolf simultaneously.
The impact of Kuro's attack is that all four Bloody Wolfs die due to their HP bar being depleted.

Like other skills, Sword Skills also use MP.
Kuro realized after his MP bar had decreased by 15 percent.

 

“Shadow Bullet is the same as Ruko's Bullet, but-“

 

Ruko can kill 4 wolves in one attack.
Not only that, but her speed was also different from his.

 

“But [Tornado] really looks like Kamikiri-Ryu [Eclipse].”

 

He knew he could use Kamikiri-Ryu in CSO, but what kind of impact would an attack have on the enemy?

He sighed because he had more work to do.

After killing 5 Bloody Wolf, Kuro continued his adventure around the forest.

Under the tree, he found a chest.
He opened it and found 1 Potion.

 

“Yup.
Like a manual.”

 

He put the Potion into the storage and continued his adventure.

In CSO the storage area can store 100 items.
For Kuro who is new to playing, it's only natural that there are still a lot of empty storages slot. 

After walking for a while he found a monster in the form of a giant snake.

 

[Anaconda] level 5.

 

“Hmmm…….”

 

He encountered quite a strong monster.
Judging from the size,-

 

“That's an easy target.”

 

Kuro put on a stance and took an attacking position.
There is one sword skill he hadn't tried yet.
And this is a good time to test it.

 

“[Shadow Slash]”

 

Kuro moved at high speed and launched 3 slashes at once.
The monster's HP runs out and dies.

At the same time, he noticed his MP was reduced more than when using Shadow Bullet and Tornado.

(In other words, Shadow Slash is my strongest sword skill.)

After knowing the level of sword skill Kuro decided to test the skills he didn't know yet.

He went again and found a level 3 [Black Bear].

 

Kuro used [Dark Absorption].

 

Apart from reducing the enemy's HP, Dark Absorbtion seems to increase Kuro's HP as much as the impact it deals with on the enemy.
Too bad Kuro doesn't know for sure because his HP bar is still full.

Dark absorption uses about 10 percent MP and is active for 30 seconds.
After that, wait about 1 minute before it can be used again.

 

“This skill is useless if I run out of MP.
It seems like Ruko said, this skill is useless.”

 

He then looked for enemies again and again until finally, he could know all about his skills.

[Vital Curse], was a skill that allowed Kuro to create Vital Soul in the monsters he faced.

At first, he didn't know because the skill only marked the enemy and didn't reduce HP.
In addition, after a few seconds, the mark in the form of a small magic circle disappeared because the skill duration had expired.

But to Kuro's surprise, the Vital Curse consumes a lot of MP and takes a long time to be used again.

After several times using the Vital Curse skill, he finally knew it was probably the most useful of all skills.

He then tried to use the [Raising] skill, but it failed or couldn't even be used.

It seems that the skill requires certain conditions to be active.

The next skill is [Life Absorption].
The skill surprised Kuro a little because it didn't require MP at all and turned the enemy's HP into his MP.

It can be used when Kuro runs out of MP.

But the weakness of the skill is that it is of short duration and takes a long time to be used again just like Vital Curse.

Kuro's [Steal], [Night Vision], and [Illusion] skills weren't too much to figure out because he could already guess the use of the skill from its name.

[Steal] means to steal.
He could steal in-game, but it seemed that skill was useless to monsters.
In other words, Steal might be more suitable for players.

[Night Vision] to see the darkness, but currently in CSO, it is still day even though the real world is already night.

[Illusion] Of course to create illusions, but what kind of illusion?

 

“I guess I should give it a try.”

 

Kuro concentrated and used [Illusion], but…

 

“Eh?”

 

Nothing happened.

He looked around but didn't find any changes in his surroundings.
The forest is still the same as before.

But when he saw the MP bar, he was surprised because the MP was decreasing little by little which indicated the skill had been activated.

 

“Hmmm?”

 

Illusion.
It means displaying an illusion, but what kind of illusion?

 

“………..”

 

He gave up.

He then walked towards the river not far from where he was.

He wanted to wash his face because he saw water so clear that it reflected like a mirror.

It was then that he saw a familiar face in the mirror image.
That person is-

 

“Ruko? What are you doing- Eh? No way..”

 

Kuro noticed that Ruko who was in the water shadow moved like when he moves.

Kuro immediately held his face and found his long hair like Ruko's.

 

“I see.
I turned into Ruko, but why…Ruko?”

 

He didn't understand, but he now knew the use of the Illusion skill.

Kuro instantly deactivated Illusion.
He knew the duration of Illusion depended on how many MP players used it.

Now all that was left was [Dark Counter].

 

“……hm?”

 

Kuro was surprised because after looking at the skill list, he realized that [Dark Counter] was a little different from the other skills.

What's different is that the skill doesn't have a number indicating the skill level.

(Useless skills anymore?)

He didn't know, but it couldn't hurt to find out.

He then went to a deeper forest.
He had little memory of the forest path, therefore he knew what monsters he would encounter.

 

[Big Boar] level 4.
Total 15.

 

The number of monsters is quite large because there is a certain area called [Nest].

Inside the Nest, there were not only a lot of monsters, but there was a monster called [Monster Alpha] that led the other monsters.

Alpha monsters are usually stronger than other monsters but have almost the same appearance as regular monsters.

 

“I found you…”

 

He looked at the Monster Alpha that had killed him yesterday.

[Alpha Big Boar] level 7.

Kuro found it strange when he could die fighting a weak monster.
After reading the manual, he found that yesterday he died from being attacked by Monster Alpha.

Monster Alpha looked at Kuro with his red and sharp eyes.
At a glance, Kuro could feel the hatred from Monster Alpha's gaze.

The other 14 Big Boars then looked at Kuro with the same look.

 

“Don't compare me to yesterday.
This time I will kill you all.”

 

The 3 Big Boars immediately attacked Kuro at the same time.
They ran at high speed and pointed their fangs at Kuro.

Kuro just smiled.
He then took up an attacking stance and used [Shadow Bullet].

One of the Big Boars instantly dies and becomes a particle.
Kuro who was getting closer to Monster Alpha used [Swadow Bullet] again to finish off the 3 Big Boars.

The advantage of [Shadow Bullet] is that it can be used continuously as long as the MP is still left. 

Because Kuro is level 14, he can use a maximum of 12 Shadow Bullets to kill the Big Boar.

He would have won easily, but-

Big Boars appear and increase so that the number of Big Boars doesn't decrease too much.

This is one of the features of [Nest].

Monsters defeated by Liber (player) will automatically reappear after a while for other players to fight, but in [Nest], monsters will be resurrected faster.

Nests are actually a great place to add EXP, but too many of them make this difficult to do.

The only way to stop the generation process is to kill the Alpha Monster.

 

“This is getting more and more interesting…”

 

Kuro smiled happily because the number of enemies was back to normal, which was 15.

He was now surrounded by 14 Big Boars from all directions.

Kuro got into a fighting stance, but this time he wouldn't use magic skills or sword skills.

 

“This is a good opportunity to see the results of my training.”

 

Kuro intended to use the Kamikiri-Ryu that he had learned since childhood.

All this time he keeps training, but there is no friend to train with.
Only his grandfather had always accompanied Kuro, but now that his grandfather was dead.
He didn't know whether his abilities had improved or not.

 

4 Big Boars attack Kuro.

 

Kuro immediately slashed one by one the Big Boars that was heading towards him by turning, dodging, and slashing at the enemy like dancing.

 

“Kamikiri-Ryu [The Dancer]”

 

The four Big Boars died and became particles.
Kuro observed the MP status which didn't decrease at all.

 

“As I thought…”

 

The other Big Boars came forward to face Kuro.
They attacked alternately using fangs that were as sharp as knives.

When compared to the wild boar in the real world, the Big Boar has a bigger and faster body, but Kuro's body is not his body in the real world.

His body is a level 14 player.

Kuro attacked one by one the Big Boars that were heading towards him.
He not only uses kendo techniques but also uses Kamikiri-Ryu.
The result is that some Big Boars die immediately, but some survive by leaving a little HP.

Big Boars appeared and grew, but they didn't have much effect.
Kuro still won easily against them

Even though there was an attack that hit him, his HP still had a lot and it was full again after a while.

In CSO, when hit by an attack, Liber (player) will feel pain, but only like being bitten by an ant.

One thing that made Kuro wonder, why didn't Alpha Big Boar attack him?

Since earlier Kuro has been fighting the Big Boar only and always wins.
Even Kuro couldn't count the number of Big Boars he had killed.

Kuro jumped high, then used the moment of landing to use the Kamikiri-Ryu technique.

“Kamikiri-Ryu [Star Breaker]”

 

He spun through the air like a tornado and landed a drill-like attack on two Big Boars that were a short distance away.

 

boom.

 

The earth dust flew and made the view invisible.

A crater was created under Kuro's feet.

nearby is a big boar particle that got hit and died

Kuro then put his sword on his shoulder and looked at Alpha Big Boar.

The Alpha Big Boar suddenly roared loudly.
The other Big Boars suddenly retreated and didn't attack Kuro.

Alpha Big Boar then attacked Kuro.

Kuro blocked Alpha Big Boar's attack using his sword as a shield.
He was level 14, so he should be able to withstand Alpha Big Boar's attacks with ease.

At least that's what Kuro thought.

Kuro was taken aback as his body was pushed back by the Alpha Big Boar's power.

 

“?!”

 

Realizing something was off, Kuro immediately pushed and used that moment to jump back a few meters.

Kuro looked at Alpha Big Boar once again.
Kuro's eyes widened when he saw something strange with the Alpha Big Boar.

 

[Alpha Big Boar] level 11.

 

“……….”

 

Kuro didn't understand why Big Boar's Alpha level had increased from 7 to 11.

Could this be the reason Alpha Big Boar didn't attack him?

Kuro didn't really understand, but one thing he did know.

 

“This is getting more and more interesting.”

 

Kuro smiled as he enjoyed his battle with the Alpha Big Boar.

Alpha Big Boar was faster than Big Boars that attacking Kuro, but Kuro was faster.
He managed to dodge and land an attack.

Alpha Big Boar's HP decreased, but not too much.

(Not only speed and power, but its defense also increases huh?)

 

“?!”

 

Kuro was surprised when all the silent Big Boars suddenly attacked him.
Kuro of course immediately attacked using a sword skill.

 

“Kamikiri-Ryu [Eclipse].”

 

Kuro spun around using his feet as the center of gravity and slashed all the Big Boars.
All of them that was hit died in an instant and became particles.

Alpha Big Boar saw it from a distance.
His eyes shone like the devil.
To Kuro's surprise even more than when the Alpha Big Boar leveled up, the Alpha Big Boar's two fangs shone like using a skill.

(That….)

He knew monsters could also use attacks like magic or special attacks, but this was the first time Kuro had seen him.

Kuro's current HP and MP statuses are still full.
In other words, he was in perfect condition.

The Big Boars are back at 14 but it seems they aren't attacking Kuro anymore.

 

“………one on one huh?”

 

Kuro immediately smiled because he found something interesting in CSO.

 

“I will comply with your request!!”

 

Kuro positioned his stance and prepared to slash.

Alpha Big Boar's front paw scratched the ground like a bull then ran straight at full speed towards Kuro.

Kuro knew what skill was suitable for him to use against Alpha Big Boar.

Suddenly Kuro's sword was enveloped in a black aura as Kuro thinking about using the Skill.

Kuro swung his sword and shouted-

 

“[Dark Counter]”

 

He used a skill he didn't know yet against the Alpha Big Boar's skill, and-

He's dead.

Kuro suddenly fell at the power plant with the sword now emitting black steam.

Actually, the way Kuro was resurrected was a bit embarrassing, but he was more concerned with something more important, namely the [Dark Counter] skill.

(I don't think I'll ever use that again..)

 

“Haa…”

 

Kuro sighed and picked up his sword.

He now knew the usefulness of the Skill and the weakness of the Skill he had.
Including skills that he will no longer use.

 

“Why did I choose that kind of skill?”

 

He doesn't know himself.

He was currently walking towards the next town.

Kuro could technically reach the third world in three months, but after reading the guide and comparing the time he could spend playing CSO, he knew he didn't have much time.

But there was one more thing that was bothering him.

(What was that? …sword?)

After a player dies, they will automatically be resurrected in the last city they visited.

In the process of generating it, players will experience a sensation like when logging in, in the form of a distorted light of various colors.

But after fighting the Alpha Big Boar and dying, he realized that something was different.

Dark.
Black.
There is no light like darkness.
That's what he saw.

In that darkness, a sword-like object floated in the air.
The sword was as black as darkness itself and emitted a sinister aura.

When he saw that, one thing immediately crossed his mind.

 

“Isn't this too mainstream?”

 

For some reason after Kuro said that, the black sword moved and slashed at Kuro.

After that, what Kuro remembered, was that he was already resurrected again.

But there was one thing he remembered about the black sword other than slashing himself.

 

“'Find me!' …..What does it mean?”

 

While he was deep in thought, someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

Kuro was surprised, but because he was a karate expert, Kuro reflexively grabbed and slammed the person holding his shoulder.

The person he slammed into hit the ground hard.
This makes Kuro the center of attention of other players.

 

“…………………….”

 

(This is really bad.)

Realizing the situation he would be in, Kuro thought about running away, but-

“Onii-chan, why do you always do that?”

Beside him, Ruko suddenly appeared and complained.

“Ru-Anna, why are you here?”

“Of course because we were worried about Onii-chan.
We just arrived and saw Onii-chan being resurrected and were about to say hello, but look what you did!”

 

“………….”

 

He realized that he was the one at fault.

 

“Anna-chan, don't worry.
I've been hit by Kuro-chan's attacks many times.
It's a game after all.
I won't get hurt at all.”

“Huh?”

 

Kuro was surprised to hear a familiar voice from the player who was now cleaning his clothes.

 

“Kuro-chan……
Are you enjoying CSO?”

 

He realized after the player in front of him had the face of someone he knew well.

He knew her very well as a troublemaker.

 

“Chiaki?”

 

That's the girl's name.