The calamities of Weapon of Infinity each had their own theme.
Akedia governed sloth.
Was he a slothful bastard?
Yes.
He was also a bastard who devoured sloth.
-How bothersome. How bothersome indeed.
The calamity stretched lazily.
The bandit boss he had parasitized had lost most of his appearance from life.
His skin, robbed of elasticity, split and cracked, and black energy flowing from the fissures wrapped around his body.
That energy gathered into one mass and wove itself into the shape of a person.
The calamity pointed at me with a pitch-black fingertip.
-You move. And work for me until you die.
An eerie voice spread over the deep darkness.
The one eye that had not yet been encroached upon by smoke slowly curved.
It was a smile that sent chills racing down my spine on its own.
But rather than frightening me, it simply felt unpleasant.
‘I feel like I’ve been personally targeted here.’
It felt as though he had seen through how I had lived.
Work until I died?
I declined to do that twice.
“Ritak, be careful! I sense an unusual energy from the ground!”
The salamander turtle sitting on my shoulder shouted.
At the same time, Phase 1 began.
Sssss......
An ominous energy rose and coiled around my ankles.
It seemed the effect of the calamity’s domain had been applied.
Those who entered the boss area were afflicted with a field effect that hindered combat.
If this were the game, I could have checked what effect had been applied, but now that I could not open a status window, it was impossible.
Of course, that did not mean I did not know.
Tap, tap!
I charged straight toward the calamity.
Even though I was holding a greatsword, my movements were more than twice as fast as usual.
The scenery around me swept past at a dizzying speed.
‘There’s a reason I dragged the greatsword all the way here while even taking sticks.’
The eight calamities targeting this world each wielded the power of the sin that symbolized them.
The first calamity I was facing now was sloth.
Without his permission, no one could be lazier than him.
No one could move more slowly than him, nor could anyone stop and take it easy.
-Do not be slothful.
The extreme increase in agility was the first status ailment of the domain, Diligence.
It let you move faster, so was that not good?
In WoI, a sudden change in speed was a combat obstruction.
Because it completely ruined the sense of control you had learned while progressing from the tutorial onward.
Of course, I was different.
WHOOSH.
I took only two steps toward Akedia and swung the greatsword as I was.
The greatsword shot out at a far greater speed than when I had dealt with the bandits.
SLASH!
For a calamity that governed sloth, Akedia swiftly retreated backward, but there was a heavy sensation caught on the tip of the greatsword.
His mouth opened wide, and black blood sprayed into the air.
“Good!”
Wer shouted in excitement.
By contrast, the calamity was already letting out a pained groan.
-How are you moving like this......
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Normally, people would meet their first death in the game while floundering, unable to properly control their character’s movements.
Because if they pressed a directional key only slightly, they would see their character move all the way to the edge of the screen.
The way to break through it was simple.
‘Just minimize movement.’
And if I held the greatsword, which had the slowest attack speed among the weapons a player could use?
SLASH! SLASH!
Each time I swung the sword, the calamity’s blood splattered again and again.
He cried out, aghast.
-I commanded you to work for me!
That was the line signaling the end of Phase 1.
The timing was quicker than I had expected.
‘I must have shaved off quite a lot of his health.’
I could not check his health bar, but I could roughly guess.
A greatsword was slow, but in exchange, it had higher attack power than other weapons of the same grade.
That was probably why I had been able to cut down half the boss’s health in an instant.
Creep......
Even more viscous smoke poured from his body.
Immediately afterward, the grass on the ground turned completely black.
‘There it is!’
I quickly grabbed the grass on the ground and used Appraisal.
-Diligence-Encroached Grass. Grass affected by the Diligence status ailment. Can be used as an item crafting material.
If I made medicine with this grass, I could partially grant the effect of Diligence, an extreme increase in agility.
If I combined it with the legs of cave insects, which possessed high speed, I should be able to easily handle the calamity’s second phase.
Because the next phase would apply a speed-decrease debuff, the exact opposite of the first phase.
“Medicine Crafting! The materials are one root of Diligence-Encroached Grass and three cave insect legs!”
Streams of light burst from the selected materials.
SHHHHH!
At the same time the medicine was made, black energy surged fiercely from underground.
“Ugh......”
“Ritak! Why have you suddenly stopped?”
It felt as though my feet were stuck to the ground.
It seemed the domain effect of Phase 2 had been applied.
The extreme agility decrease, the effect of Sloth, had spread through my whole body like an epidemic.
-Become slothful. I shall make you my nourishment.
The calamity spread his arms as though bestowing favor.
Perhaps because he had regained his composure, the corners of his mouth rose high.
‘Laugh all you want since it’s your last chance.’
My preparations were complete.
Because the medicine made with the skill was in my hand.
‘No, what am I supposed to do if using items slows down too?!’
Even the speed at which I moved my eyes was slow.
My gaze barely reached my hand.
The stick I was gripping looked similar to the Strength Increase Stick.
The difference was the color.
Unlike the Strength Increase Stick, this one was dark and grimy.
I had no room to appraise it.
‘If I eat it, it should raise my agility stat......’
My stat would only rise once I put it in my mouth.
As a person from a people who lived with “hurry, hurry” on their lips, it was enough to make my insides burst.
-Now. Obediently become my food.
The calamity, who had approached sluggishly, was already right in front of my nose.
Black smoke descended heavily around me.
CRACK!
A red shield pushed back the pitch-black energy.
The effect of Sloth that had been weighing down my body was also pushed back for an instant.
I did not miss that chance.
Rip.
I tore into the stick with my teeth.
The moment the agility stat increase effect circulated, my body became light in an instant.
I raised the greatsword high once more.
-How......
The calamity’s eyes slowly widened.
He was probably asking how I was unaffected by his influence.
Was there any reason to answer him?
I charged toward him.
Step-step-step-step!
Black energy rose each time I stepped on the ground.
Following my footprints, the blackened, dried leaves crumbled.
My sprint grew faster and faster.
“Haaah!”
I leaped lightly.
The calamity looked up at me.
I brought the greatsword down into the very center of his face.
I did not need anything like outstanding swordsmanship.
Because the painfully slow calamity of sloth would not be able to dodge this strike.
SHUNK!
I split the pitch-black form with the greatsword.
The smoke that had formed a human shape scattered, revealing the bandit boss who had been cut by the sword.
-Th-is......
Was even collapsing too bothersome?
The calamity of sloth slowly moved his mouth.
However, no more words followed.
THUD.
The form split in two slowly collapsed.
And the calamity’s domain disappeared.
Just as it had suddenly unfolded, it vanished in an instant.
The form of the first calamity, Akedia, also disappeared without a trace.
“D-did you defeat it?”
Wer, who had been clinging tightly to my back, said something ominous.
Did he not know that when someone said a line like that, even a dying bastard came back to life?
Of course, the first calamity would not revive.
Where he had fallen, only a black jewel remained.
A jewel containing Akedia’s power.
The moment I reached for the dropped item, a welcome voice rang out.
-Strength stat increased by 3! Agility stat increased by 1!
This time, two stats had increased at once.
The increase in the strength stat was even fairly large.
Was it because I had killed a boss?
It was a good thing.
The body of Ritak, which I had possessed, was frail enough that it could not even lift a greatsword.
THUD!
It seemed the effect of the Strength Increase Stick had just ended.
The tip of the greatsword I was holding fell to the ground.
‘Still, I think I can drag it around now.’
When I left the village, the greatsword had not budged no matter how hard I tried.
But now, even if it dragged along the ground, I could hold it.
If my strength stat rose a bit more, I would be able to swing the greatsword even without medicine.
“Ritak! No matter how happy you are, should you not pick up that jewel before grinning?”
A reptilian palm patted my cheek.
I had not grinned.
Grumbling inwardly, I picked up the jewel.
“Appraisal.”
-Jewel of Sloth. Can influence the agility stat. Cannot be discarded or destroyed.
No matter how I thought about it, it was a convenient skill.
Because it allowed me to be certain whether this was the item I knew.
-Appraisal skill level increased by 1!
With good timing, Appraisal also leveled up.
With this, both of my skills were now Level 2.
It had been quite a profitable fight.
‘Getting stronger is only a matter of time.’
If I went all the way back to the village with the greatsword without using a Strength Increase Stick, would my stat rise again?
Even if it did not, it would at least be exercise.
“Lord Wer.”
“What is it?”
“Hold onto this jewel for me.”
Wer sprang up.
“You must not hand over such an object so carelessly!”
Transferring it was possible.
It was not discarding or destroying it, was it?
Though calling it a transfer when I was putting it into a helper character was not quite accurate.
“I’m not handing it over. I’m asking you to hold it.”
“Entrusting an important object to just anyone is what one calls handing it over carelessly!”
“Lord Wer, you said you’d help me, didn’t you?”
In the game’s story, betrayal and schemes ran rampant.
But helper characters were always on the player’s side.
He was a character I had no need to suspect.
And Wer’s inventory, a subspace for item storage, was the safest place to keep things too.
“I’ll trust you, Lord Wer, so why don’t you try trusting me a little too?”
After tapping his little head with my index finger, I entrusted the jewel to him.
“Let’s start heading back to the village.”
I adjusted my grip on the greatsword that dragged along the ground.
Even so, I still could not pick up speed at all.
While I was at it, I decided to descend the mountain while gathering materials.
Because I had used up almost all the materials I had possessed.
It would be best to gather them in advance.
***
Ever since I died and opened my eyes, I had truly been moving without rest.
After going to the cave to obtain Wer, I found John Doe half-dead.
Then, while I was beating up the bandits, the Seed of Calamity suddenly germinated.
‘Well, whatever the case.’
I had gotten past the first calamity.
After finishing a bout of work and gathering grass needed for medicine, my heart felt newly peaceful.
‘Is this why people play healing games?’
Of course, my gathering was far from healing.
It was a foothold for making the medicine I would need from now on.
If I was going to clear the story myself, I had to prepare that thoroughly.
Still, picking leaves made my heart feel calm.
Compared to combat, of course it was leisurely.
By the time I reached the recovery shop, my pouches and bags were on the verge of bursting.
Ding!
The smell of blood that had been vibrating through the shop was completely gone.
‘Did someone ventilate it?’
I looked toward the direction the wind was entering.
My eyes met perfectly with someone who happened to be standing by the window.
“Ritak.”
“Oh. Is your body feeling a little better?”
“Thanks to you. How much medicine did you use?”
His gaze slid downward.
Toward the greatsword, his own weapon.
‘I did say I was borrowing it.’
He did not seem about to scold me, but I felt awkward.
I quietly leaned the greatsword against the wall.
“......About five or six recovery potions, I think.”
John Doe closed the window.
“If you give me time, I’ll repay you.”
“You don’t have to.”
Playable characters usually did not have much money in the early stages.
On top of that, I had even obtained the first boss reward.
“Your condition can’t be very good. Why don’t you rest?”
“No.”
He strode past me and shouldered the greatsword.
Ding!
The shop door opened.
Was he really just leaving like this?
“Wait.”
John Doe half turned back.
“......Where are you going?”
Even as I asked, I was certain of John Doe’s destination.
To begin with, John Doe had stopped by Root Village to appraise the Seed of Calamity.
At the point when the game began, John Doe had already been in the middle of carrying out some sort of request.
The place he would head to complete that request was obvious.
“City of Traders.”
If one crossed the Root Mountains and advanced along the well-maintained road, a city would appear.
A place where, just as its name suggested, money and transactions ruled everything.
Around the City of Traders, markets opened frequently, and a grand auction was held every quarter.
The story would begin in earnest in that city.
‘I have to go too.’
The City of Traders had many materials that could not be obtained in Root Village.
Not only medicinal ingredients that grew only near the city, but also materials that had to be obtained through auctions or gambling.
The materials I would obtain there would help me time and again on the journey ahead.
‘I can’t rush like I did this time.’
Akedia, the first calamity, had a simple strategy befitting an early boss.
Was he not a monster in the section where the player learned the controls?
He was the one who fulfilled the “if you can’t beat this one, ask for a refund” role.
‘From the next one on, I need to prepare properly.’
The second calamity that would germinate in the City of Traders was not easy.