Pandora of Fantasy And Reality Chapter 32

Angry Fire Dragon

The campground fell completely silent.

Each party took turn to be on the lookout. The sounds of crackling bonfire, players walking, and metal clang could be heard.

There was no talking voice perhaps because everyone tried to be considerate.

They were inside the game, so they must be having conversation in a way that couldn’t be heard by the surrounding.

Inside a tent.

The orc Ponsuke who had big body opened his eyes and felt his hands going numb.

(What? My arms……)

The tent looked small at the outside. Someone with Ponsuke’s size shouldn’t be able to enter at all.

However this was a world inside a game. The inside was spacious enough for Ponsuke and his friends to enter.

They placed pillows on the ground and pulled a blanket over themselves.

Ponsuke lied down on such simple bedding. Currently he was in the  middle of the tent with his arms spread open, which were used by MAriela  and Alfie as pillow.

(……Ee~, what’s with this situation?)

He could see two beautiful girls at both sides. They were breathing peacefully while sleeping near Ponsuke.

However that was only the case based on the outer appearance.

The inside of the two――Ponsuke had decided to not be bothered about  who was the actual person inside the avatar, but this was still a  situation that he couldn’t honestly feel happy about.

(Looking at them like this, they really look  cute, or rather  beautiful……it feels like I have seen them from somewhere? Well, it’s  just my imagination I guess.)

He stared at the two while thinking back to what he heard from  “Sololy” who he had just registered as friend yesterday. He didn’t feel  anything off from their avatars.

(……Does that mean, they had put a lot of effort into creating their avatar?)

He heard that recently there were even books or blogs that gave  instruction of how to create avatar, so he guessed that these two  created their avatars by following instruction from something like that.

The three snuggled on each other inside the cramped tent.

――But Ponsuke didn’t hesitate.

「Okay. It’s time~」

He endured the numbness in his arms and moved, waking up the two while he got up. He opened his large mouth and yawned.

「Haa~, that was a nice sleep.」

He rotated his neck and narrowed his eyes slightly toward his numb arms while moving his body.

Mariela and Alfie who suddenly lost their pillow were wearing a horrible expression right from the morning.

「Hey! Wake us up a bit more kindly!」

「……It’s the worst way to wake up. Ponsuke really doesn’t understand a woman’s heart.」

The two complained. In respond Ponsuke replied with a smile.

「Hahhaha, I’m an orc after all, not a gentleman.」

Mariela’s long red hair was disheveled so she touched it with her  hand and fixed it. Alfie was taking out the necessary tool set for  grooming in the morning from her item box.

Mariela stared reproachfully at Ponsuke and said to him with a somewhat cold tone.

「Weren’t you gentlemanly with Nanako-chan? What’s with that? Is that your preference?」

Ponsuke stood up and lowered his waist to step outside the tent.

「That’s rude. ……Oh, some people are already awake.」

The players were coming out from the tents in the camping ground.  Some weren’t wearing their equipments and among them there were also  female avatars which made it troubling of where to look.

However when he looked carefully he saw a pretty person yawning while scratching her stomach.

It was definitely a male-like action no matter how he looked at it.  The unnaturalness that Sololy taught him before was standing out from  the avatar.

Ponsuke had a thought after becoming able to spot that.

(I guess this means I have also gotten slightly used to Pandora?)

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Morning.

They were preparing breakfast.

It didn’t seem like something necessary to do, but daily activity  could also affect the player’s status. Not sleeping or not eating would  give bad status.

The reason for this breakfast was partly for that, but the biggest reason was because of the meal that the cook created.

「The soup will increase your resistance against fire. Drink it all okay~」

A male with cheerful voice was pouring soup from a big pot to a  plate. The players were queuing for the soup and they would move aside  after they got their portion.

「This bread increase your defense.」

It was called bread, but it looked freshly baked with sausage and vegetable sandwiched at the middle.

All of them looked delicious.

The players took the foods and started eating.

When they looked at their status screen, it displayed the effective time of the status up from the food.

The increased amount was shown to be insignificant, but the lasting time was amazing.

It showed that the effect of “Defense+20” and “Fire Resistance+10” would continue for two hours.

Ponsuke ate while sitting. He looked at their own cook.

「……My bad. I can’t make something like this.」

Mariela sulked, but in actuality her repertory had been increasing lately.

Sololy who was eating together with them talked to Ponsuke after looking at Mariela.

「She also has cook job class?」

「Yes, well, she finally got better with it recently. But before that it was really……」

Alfie finished eating and grinned at Mariela.

「It’ll be great if our cook can also make something like this. Even so, it’s amazing that the effect can last for three hours.」

Ponsuke hurriedly checked his status after hearing what Alfie casually said.

「Eh? Mine will only last for two hours though.」

Mariela checked her own status too.

「……It’s three hours for me.」

Sololy finished his soup and sighed before saying to Ponsuke.

「This is also the orc’s drawback. I think……the boost from cooking and  the like is shortened for orc because they’re a big eater if I remember  it right. As expected from a joke race. The dev is really cold against  orc.」

The race called orc was receiving cold treatment in various aspects.

Ponsuke said 「That’s horrible」 while at the same time the raid leader  Blaze stood up and clapped his hands to gather everyone’s attention.

「Ee~, listen to me while you’re eating. We’re going to fight the fire  dragon after this but, the craftsmen party is to support from the rear.  We the main party will face the enemy head-on. The other two parties,  please draw the enemy’s attention from us.」

The party where the craftsmen gathered was undependable in combat.

The best they could do was to stay at the back while supporting other parties.

(So our role is to draw the fire dragon’s attention from the side.)

The main party was definitely Blaze’s party.

Ponsuke’s own party was also quite strong, but from what he saw,  Blaze’s party was filled with members who had ideal jobs and skills.

Their equipments were also the best that could be obtained in the Capital of Hope.

The power of real money could be seen clearly from there.

「I want to share the reward equally but, what if the drop item from the fire dragon goes to the party with the MVP?」

The other players didn’t react to those words.

Sololy talked to Ponsuke with a small voice.

「In reality that party will be them. It will be the system that  calculate the total damage to the boss and the degree of contribution  for the subjugation, but few party can do more work than them.」

They had the ideal jobs and skills, and also equipments……certainly,  it was like a done deal already that Blaze’s party would take the MVP.

「Well, we just want to be able to go to the next world.」

Sololy also laughed a little.

「What a coincidence. Me too.」

Blaze nodded after seeing there was no opposition.

「Then, let’s go. Vanguard party, don’t forget to receive your items  from the craftsmen. Also, apparently fire dragon will also react to  player’s voice other than attack. So don’t speak too loudly in its  presence.」

The rear support craftsmen had prepared various things for this quest.

Ponsuke and others could receive the items they created for free  because that was their way for doing their part in this joint effort.

They didn’t spare any effort for it because they couldn’t join the fight directly.

One of the craftsmen said to Ponsuke.

「Do your best. We also want to go to the next world.」

They came together with the group to here and helped like this because they couldn’t fight.

However there was also exception among them.

The situation could be reversed where the vanguards were the one who  bowed to the craftsmen and provided all the required money and materials  so they would join the fight if the craftsmen possessed overwhelming  skill.

The help of craftsman would become more indispensable the more the player progressed ahead.

Because of that sometimes the rear guard craftsmen could have higher position than the vanguards.

Player who decided that craftsman was useless because they couldn’t  fight would find themselves in a tight spot later down the road.

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At the cavern where the fire dragon slept.

Magma was flowing like river there.

It was a place that couldn’t possibly exist in natural world. There was a hole at the ceiling for the fire dragon to fly out.

As expected the difficulty level for the players to win would be too high if the dragon could fly freely in the sky.

Because of that they would fight in a restricted space.

(It’ll be scary if we run into it outside. In a sense the terrain advantage belongs to the player side.)

This place was the enemy’s living place, but it was an environment where they players could fight in.

Red and thick magma was flowing like a river……sometimes it would also  spurt out steam, making the area humid and the players to sweat  heavily.

「I’ll never think about stepping inside this kind of place if it isn’t a game.」

Alfie wiped her sweat while saying that. Mariela also agreed with her.

「Agreed. Even my clothes is completely drenched.」

Mariela was wearing clothing that was sticking to her body. The sweat  caused her body line to look even more captivating than usual.

Ponsuke and co was walking at the forefront. They found the place where the fire dragon was sleeping.

Ponsuke stopped walking and lifted his hand to notify the people behind that they had found the fire dragon.

Blaze nodded, and then the magicians used their magic in succession.

The players got enveloped in colorful lights. Various effects were applied on them.

「Most of my statuses are going up.」

Alfie said that in delight. Sololy sighed.

「It makes it clear how number is strength. But it’s reassuring to receive this much support……」

The fire dragon was sleeping on a mound on the ground. It was breathing peacefully.

Ponsuke had a thought when seeing the fire dragon.

「Big. And scary.」

Red scales and black horns and claws.

The dragon had a big body. It was giving off pressure just from existing.

An existence that they couldn’t possibly stand a chance against even  if they increased their level was sleeping over there. They were going  to challenge it after this.

Then a comrade of Blaze came from behind and poked on Ponsuke with his spear.

Mariela and Alfie glared at the player’s bad attitude, but Ponsuke held them back by raising his hand.

「Oi, the preparation is finished. Go ahead already.」

The player said that with a condescending look before withdrawing to the back.

The fire dragon had the tendency of attacking the players that entered first. Ponsuke was being treated like a sacrifice.

Sololy shrugged.

「Blaze-kun aren’t blessed with good people around him.」

Sololy said that it was unfortunate how Blaze only had that kind of  friends around him. Then Ponsuke lifted his shield in his left hand and  held a one-handed sword in his right hand.

「Then, I’ll go first――let’s go, ORAAAAAA!」

Ponsuke raised his voice and drew attention to himself. Mariela and Alfie along with Sololy also followed behind Ponsuke.

The fire dragon opened its eyes. Then its neck slowly reared up and it opened its mouth.

Flame surged out from inside its mouth. It then opened its mouth wide  toward Ponsuke who was running toward it and flame assaulted Ponsuke.

Mariela moved to Ponsuke’s back and threw an item.

That item smashed on Ponsuke’s back and blue light enveloped him.  Ponsuke held the large shield in front of him and protected the three  behind him.

「Hot!」

His body was cooled and his status had also been increased, and yet the fire dragon’s flame mercilessly burned Ponsuke.

The comrades behind him were safe, but he could feel his HP and armor’s endurance value were dropping like rock.

(A party with bad equipments will get annihilated in one attack!)

The boss had been weakened but it was still a boss. This attack showed him that fact clearly.

But the fire dragon became defenseless from attacking Ponsuke like that. Blaze and the others attacked it.

「Let’s go, everyoneeeee!」

Blaze’s extravagant sword radiated light. He jumped and then slashed at the fire dragon.

It was a powerful skill’s attack and strengthened by various types of buff, dealing a large damage to the fire dragon.

Right after that, various magic rained down on the fire dragon.

They were ice magic which was the weakness of the dragon. They rained down like arrows and damaged the dragon’s scales.

The flame that was attacking Ponsuke weakened. He ran away from it and used an item immediately.

His HP recovered, and then Ponsuke and others waited for the right timing when the attack stopped.

「This is a bad position. Let’s circle around.」

Ponsuke checked the position of everyone and moved to a spot where they could take the fire dragon’s back.

Then the second vanguard party stepped forward when the attack stopped to attract the boss’s attention.

「Look, over here, we’re next!」

The fire dragon breathed out flame and the second party endured it.

Ponsuke’s party watched them while also launching attack. It was their turn to attack.

Sololy threw an item that exploded and sent the fire dragon reeling.

Mariela nocked an arrow, while Alfie dashed in full speed and  executed a series of slash. And then Ponsuke stabbed the fire dragon’s  tail with his one-handed sword. Last Mariela fired her arrow.

The arrow with pretty light blue color arrowhead stabbed the dragon and generated ice, dealing a large damage.

The word Combo popped out, and then a large chunk of the fire dragon’s HP got shaved off.

The fire dragon’s neck turned toward Ponsuke’s party. There was anger burning in its eyes.

「It’s really intimidating from this close.」

Ponsuke stored his one-handed sword and took out an item which he used on himself.

He waited until his comrades gathered around him and he raised his large shield but――.

「You guys, don’t deal something like combo! We won’t get the drop item if you do that!」

One of the players yelled loudly.

It was Blaze’s friend, the player with spear. His loud voice  surprised everyone. The fire dragon that was targeting Ponsuke’s group  turned its gaze toward Blaze’s group that was still in the middle of  preparing to attack.

「Crap!」

Ponsuke broke into a run to get in front of Blaze’s group and readied his shield.

「Ponsuke-kun!」

Blaze cried out from behind, but he ignored him and blocked the fire dragon’s flame.

「……Tsk!」

The party positioning was out of shape from what they had decided before.

The attack to the fire dragon slowed down because Ponsuke’s party was out of position.

The fire dragon roared and spread out its wings.

「Someone stop it!」

One of the players yelled. Magic attacked the fire dragon  sporadically. But the fire dragon skillfully flew inside the cramped  space and looked down on the players.

It opened its mouth as though it was laughing.

The fire dragon looked down on the players who entered its nest, and  then it was laughing at them from a position that was beyond their  reach.

Ponsuke used item on himself and glared up at that fire dragon.

Behind him Blaze was scolding his spear user friend.

「Why did you yell like that! I already told you to be careful so that its focus won’t turn at us!」

The spear user player wouldn’t apologize obediently. His attitude was  bad. But he was looking down and looked apologetic like that.

「It’s, not really my fault……」

Another friend interrupted between the two who looked like they were going to argue.

「You two, the fire dragon is more important right now! At this rate  it will slowly destroy our group that doesn’t have a lot of magician and  hunter!」

Looking at the group on the whole, two parties were filled with craftsmen.

Even the remaining three parties only had two hunters. There were  also only two magicians……they didn’t have enough fire power at all to  finish off the flying fire dragon.

Their plan originally was to finish off the dragon before it could fly off.

「What a disaster. Things always turn like this every time.」

Ponsuke was at a complete loss facing the unexpected development.

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