Chapter 33: 33, Splashing Towards Failure A Fishy Tale of Breathless Ambition
...But her hands never reached the wall at 25 meters. As she struggled to breathe, she was forced to stand on the bottom, gasping. Her distance—about 15 meters—was far worse than she had anticipated.
"Hey, big brother, your swimming looks awkward!"
"If I keep relying on underwater breathing, I won't learn how to time my breaths properly."
He recalled how bad he was at timing his breaths. Next, it was Yuna's turn to swim. With ease, she flawlessly completed the 25 meters.
"You're great, Yuna!"
"That's just average for me, big brother."
Hearing that made him feel like he was below average, which was a hard pill to swallow.
"I'll swim the full 25 meters next time..."
After several more attempts, the water consistently splashed into his mouth during breath breaks, making it hard to take in oxygen, and he ultimately had to give up, feet touching the bottom.
"I get it. Humans are creatures meant to walk; swimming just feels wrong…"
"Come on, big brother, at least try to swim 25 meters!"
Mimicking Phoebe's words and encouraged by Yuna, I gave it my all and swam. In the end, I barely managed to swim the 25 meters by relying on my strength from blacksmith training and lung capacity, minimizing my breaths for oxygen.
"Swimming really is all about lung capacity and propulsion..."
"That's definitely not how swimming works, big brother…"
"I... I know..."
After about an hour of splashing around and practicing, I noticed Yuna, who had been resting, was being hit on by some guy. The slim guy was saying something, but I didn't care. I needed to save Yuna.
"Um... well..."
"Hey, creep! Don't you dare lay a hand on my sister!"
Stepping in to protect Yuna, I spoke with conviction, exerting pressure with my stance. The guy mumbled an apology and hurried away from the pool.
He wasn't even wet—had he just arrived? What a waste of pool fees… but whatever.
"Thanks, big brother. It's tough being alone in situations like this…"
"Anytime. You should just say no!"
"What if they get aggressive? I've heard rumors about guys who take advantage of girls in swimsuits, thinking they're easy targets."
By the way, I remember seeing a news report about someone getting caught trying to do something bad, taking advantage of being unarmed.
"Ah, that's a problem... I can't call the police because I can't use my phone in a swimsuit..."
"Hey, big brother, even if you have a phone, if the other party is multiple, there's a high chance they could overpower you. So the best way to stay safe is to stick together with at least two reliable family members or three close friends."
As we continued swimming for another hour, my sister Yuna and I eventually got out of the pool and drank some juice from the vending machine before heading home.
I had managed to swim fairly steadily for 25 meters.
"Even if we feel refreshed at the pool, it won't mean much if we sweat on the way home in the summer heat..."
"Just complain to the gods about the summer heat."
Since we worked up a sweat on the way home, we took turns showering.
As for having time for Fantasy Freedom... that can wait until after dinner.
Before dinner, I decided to check out Rhea's livestream videos online.
Even though the leader had advised me not to poke around too much, it's human nature to be curious.
"Hmm...?"
I found a video from six months ago—a gameplay video of Rhea tackling dungeons in Fantasy Freedom. Armed with a spear, she smoothly defeated her enemies with impressive skill. Wait a minute... Rhea uses a sword, doesn't she?
I watch another video, one from Rhea a month ago—a dungeon raid using only weapons acquired with limited funds and throwing techniques. The scene where she expertly holds a knife between her fingers and hurls it is impressive, and she skillfully dodges enemy attacks with style.
I find another, more recent video titled "Dominate with Special Weapons!" featuring a weapon silhouette with a question mark. There's also a crossed-out spider icon, suggesting it involves bug extermination. I dislike bugs, so I skip this one.
It seems Rhea has been playing Fantasy Freedom for a year and a half; before that, she streamed other VR games.
I spend my time watching Rhea's videos until dinner, noticing how quickly she moves while skillfully wielding spears, swords, and projectiles. It's clear she is overwhelmingly strong.
After dinner, instead of researching, I log into Fantasy Freedom. Upon reaching Lily's home, I'm greeted by Phoebe, who is dressed in a coat and reading a book.
"Oh, you were reading, Phoebe?"
"Yes, I wanted to enhance my powers a bit…"
"Oh, did I interrupt your studying?"
"No, it's fine. Are you heading to the summer area again?"
I nod, and she gracefully changes into a swimsuit, fitting perfectly into my chest pocket.
Once again, I entered the same random number and descended into the summer event stage.
"Huh? The atmosphere feels different," I remarked.
"Is there a time influence here...?"
The beach we landed on was undeniably magical, bathed in the same tranquil night as reality, yet radiating an otherworldly charm. Floating globes of light punctuated the darkness, ensuring our visibility was never compromised.
"Can I take a quick swim?"
"Yes, go ahead! I'll leave the swimming to you!"
With a splash, I plunged into the water, diving lightly. The seabed held shimmering orbs and stone-like objects, adding to the surreal ambiance.
"This is amazing..."
"Yeah, I could just relax and take it all in."
Phoebe, nestled in my pocket, let out an awed gasp. She bravely dove down, emerging with a glowing stone from the ocean floor.
*Glowing Stone*
"A simple glowing stone. It may only serve as decoration in crafting, but it can act as a small light or marker."
Perhaps I should gather a few... Even though collecting them in bulk wouldn't have much use, the thought of the light vanishing from the ocean floor is a bit unsettling.
I surfaced, letting my body relax and floating on the water's surface. The sky was adorned with a full moon and countless stars.
"This is incredible. Just witnessing the ocean floor and the starry sky makes this place worth it..."
"Is it really?"
"Absolutely, beautiful places always draw you in..."
"Beautiful places, indeed..."
A tranquil silence enveloped us as I finally broached the topic I had kept vague before.
"Hey, actually, while I've been here, I think I've found some materials to fix the broken fairy gate key we got when we fought that giant centipede."
"Y-You can fix it!?"
"Yeah, I've chosen a subclass for that, and I've got the recipe... though I haven't really read it thoroughly yet."
I hadn't read the recipe at all until Phoebe expressed her desire to fix it. It's special and different from the others, so I've only looked at the necessary materials.
"…If you can fix it, I want to! I'm sure if it's your key, you'll be able to master it…"
"Alright, if we're going to fix it, I'll need your help, okay?"
"Of course, that key is important to me too."
"…Hey, I just want a yes or no answer. Do you want to go back home?"
"..."
Phoebe didn't reply.
"Why can't you answer?"
"If I say yes, you'll definitely want to go to my hometown."
"Well, that's true. I don't have any other goals… and I'd likely pursue it."
As she said this, Phoebe peeked out from her chest pocket, her expression filled with anxiety.
"…I don't want that. If you encounter the monsters that attacked my home, it'll definitely lead to a fight… and if that happens… right now, you wouldn't stand a chance. Lily has taught me so much. Players in this world, including you, can revive as long as they don't give up… but that's the rule of this world. It might be different in ours… and that terrifies me."
"What's that? Was that the setting? This world?
And is Phoebe's hometown considered a different world?
But it seems certain I'll lose… Having already been overwhelmed by Wendy's surprise attack, I can't deny my weakness.
It's just a game, so I won't truly die, but what if I can't respawn in Phoebe's world? If I get sent back to Lily's home and need Phoebe to enter her world, then if we're separated by death, I would definitely be doomed.
Thinking about it like this, I can't find the right words to ease Phoebe's anxiety...
Gently, I stroked the top of Phoebe's head with my index finger.
"I'm lacking in strength..."
"That's not it! Lena creates so many powerful weapons! It's just... battles..."
Phoebe's words faltered; discussing her hometown any further would only lead to negativity.
"Hey, I found some shaved ice earlier. Want to go get some?"
"Uh, um... yes!"
Surprised by the sudden change of topic, Phoebe's enthusiasm returned. After confirming Phoebe was securely tucked in my pocket, I headed towards the stand selling shaved ice.
Our conversation about Phoebe's situation remained unresolved, but at least I had decided to focus on fixing the key...
Surely, one day Phoebe will find her resolve, or another factor will lead her back to her homeland. I must grow stronger… or I won't be able to protect her.
The next morning, we were swimming in the ocean. Before us stood a fishman armed with a spear, clearly hostile, lunging to stab me.
"Ha!"
I swung my weapon, Archie, to deflect the spear and aimed to strike the fishman. But it dodged nimbly to the side, ready to stab again!
"Aqua Shield!"
Phoebe activated a water shield that dulled the spear's thrust significantly. I caught the attack with one hand while gripping Archie tightly with the other, attempting to pierce the fishman. Unfortunately, with my footing compromised underwater, I couldn't deliver much damage.
"Ugh, I didn't expect such a struggle underwater!"
After landing several solid blows, the fishman abandoned his spear and retreated. I inspected the discarded weapon with appraisal skills only to find it utterly worthless, so I tossed it aside.
"Our quest to defeat ten fishmen underwater is proving to be quite a challenge," I remarked.
"Indeed!"
We had taken on the task of defeating ten fishmen in the sea, but it felt like it was designed with ranged magic users in mind!
"Let's take down the first one!"
I summoned Archie again, striking down the fishman with three powerful blows from both hands, defeating it.
"Haah, haah... this is really tough..."
"Just managing one-on-one for now... let's push through the next nine."
"Yeah, I'll do my best..."
Fortunately, if we can retreat to an area where enemies don't spawn, they'll cease combat and leave... though these retreating enemies become immune to attacks, making it a bit of a loophole. Still, it's useful for escaping tight situations.
One hour later...
"Finally done!"
"Good work, Lena."
"Thanks for your support spells, Phoebe."
We ended up taking longer to complete the quest because we kept running away whenever we encountered more than two fishmen. Despite how easily we took them down during the raid, fighting underwater turned out to be quite the hassle...
"Well, well, doing it only with melee weapons underwater, are we?"
When I reported the quest completion, the old NPC who assigned it praised me. Did he actually see me fighting with just melee weapons?
"With your skill, you might even aim for the ocean floor!"
"Please, spare me..."
While receiving event points, I replied with a grin. Given that I only managed to accomplish this by dodging every fight except one-on-one, there's no way I could tackle a place as unknown as the ocean floor right now.
Sure, there might be some epic quests waiting, but if they involve fighting underwater, it would undoubtedly turn into a serious challenge.
"Hmm, what should we do next...?"
"Hey there, Lena and Phoebe!"
"Hmm? Leader?"
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