OVRMMO 068: “STRENGTH”, AS ONE WOULD CALL IT, IS …

Toaru Ossan no VRMMO Katsudouki
Author: Shiina Howahowa
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“Strength”, as one would call it, is …

Several days passed since the devs officially put out the announcement on Skill growth. First of all, the people who had crafting and combat as dual jobs greatly diminished; this is just based off my intuition, but it’s probably not wrong.
And similarly, the weapons and magic hybrid types were also largely reduced, and on either side the amount of people who were squeezed out is great, it looks like  … this is all according to talk on the forums, so I don’t know whether it’s true or not.

Also, the amount of street stalls put out have clearly decreased; each and every street stall’s profits might have risen, but the situation where the demand exceeds the supply has also come out; my own main seller of food is also one of them.
The time it takes to sell them has also become much shorter, according to the time that’s marked down when it’s sold out.

Furthermore, if you look at the forums, there are quite a few opinions that say that it’s a lot harder to fight from before if you specialize. Sure, the part you specialize in has become quite strong on that front, probably above the abilities of that of several passive Skills added together.
However, if that specialized part isn’t magic, long-distance attacks and recovery become harsh, and if that specialized part isn’t weapons (shields included), it’s obvious that after fighting becomes close-ranged, dealing with things will become harsh.
That’s even more so for the bow that occupies both hands, and on top of that, if you don’t get used to it, you won’t be able to hit anything.
It’s because I wanted a good way to deal with close-ranged combat that I chose kick, though.

In the end, the part that gets stronger is the Status; for the people that aren’t suited for specialization, of course this is going to be different for them. Especially since this is a VRMMO, a game where “you enter the game and use your own body to move and fight”; of course you’re going to feel the backlash of cutting away something you’ve been using all along until now, and of course it’s going to feel harsh when you can’t deal with the distances you used to be able to; that’s what’s always been the merits and demerits of specialization.

“Ma, hybrids have their own good points …”

Now that I’ve gossiped a lot, it’s time to go hunt the Wild Bears I used to have so much trouble with.
Even more so than regular Bears, Wild Bears’ meat is even more delicious in stew and as grilled chicken skewers, I mean grilled bear skewers. Recently, every time I see an animal monster, I’m thinking about how to best cook it to be tasty, but is this a type of occupational sickness?

Nevertheless, that “strength” word can be a nuisance.
In actuality, it’s something that hard to define, but it’s also something that everyone desires.
This is just an example, but if you have an Art where 1 hit gives 10,000 damage, and then you have another Art that gives about 1500 damage.
In this case, the 10,000 one looks great, but hit probability and range, cooldown length, if you take these types of things into account… in the end, since the 1500 one is easier to use and to hit your target, practically speaking, you will make the decision that it’s stronger.

This is an extreme example, but I don’t think it’s fundamentally wrong.
Consequently, for me, I would rather be restricted with Advanced Skills than things that are easy to use; they may be Arts that I learned early on, but I want to stay being able to continue to use Skills that are easy to use as my main.
For people who’ve played MMOs, I think there will be a lot of people that understand.

And that’s why people are permitted to join up in parties.
That way, for the things you can’t do yourself and the things you’re weak at, it’s fine to leave it up to the people who are specialized in it; that’s what gave rise to the vanguard-rearguard idea, and what gave birth to the thing called tactics … Since we have nothing to do with being heroes, of course it’s important to stress numbers above individual power.
Going back to that 10,000 Skill, even if you can’t hit it by yourself, if you have a lot of people hindering its movements, with its movements sealed, it will become especially easy to hit.

The way the game’s going, like others before it, the amount of parties that will be recruiting will increase.
The guys from the bow guild have the capability of shooting long-ranged attacks quickly, so looks like they’ll be invited to parties quite often, and recruited quite often.
In one way, I can see it becoming like a bow mercenary guild. Ma, if it keeps them busy, it’s probably fine.

The capture of the Challenge from the Dead by 2 to 5 people parties is progressing nicely.
There were 1 person and 6 person Secret Bosses, so there are expectations of other combinations for other Secret Bosses. I’m pretty sure that the previous 6 person Secret Boss was a Dragon Zombie, since the video of the subjugation has been released.
The video of my 1 person Secret Boss subjugation was proposed to be made private by the devs. The other peoples’ videos were made public, so they’re probably enough; they didn’t consult me about it at all.

And, thinking about those kind of things, I withdraw from hunting.
That time, the feelings of fear that I had facing an opponent I had never faced before, preparing my equipment, with Skills that have become strong and yet not letting down my guard, but still winning solo; this is unmistakably also a type of strength, huh … the top is something you will never see the end of.
Even so, the staircase of strength is something you will still want to climb just a little more, I guess… and of course this isn’t just about me.
And that strength isn’t just something to defeat monsters; delicious food that makes peoples’ tongues groan is also like that, it’s yet another side of strength. I don’t want to part with that strength as well.

Thinking these thoughts that have no end, I return to town. Alright, let’s get cooking today too!

SKILLS
[Wind-Blown Hunting Bow]Lv12 ↑UP
[Assaulting Kick]Lv22 ↑1UP
[Farsight]Lv50
[Craftsmanship]Lv52
[Small Shield]Lv 6
[Stealth]Lv41 ↑1UP
[Physical Ability Reinforcement]Lv31
[Chivalrous Thief]Lv21
[Whip]Lv37 ↑1UP
[Fairy Language]Lv99 (Forced Acquisition) (Unable to be moved to Reserved Skills)

Reserved Skills
[Woodworking]Lv34
[Blacksmithing]Lv39
[Alchemy]Lv40
[Advanced Cooking]Lv5 ↑1UP

ExP 4

Titles Possessed:  The One who Charmed Even the Fairy Queen, The One who Defeated a Great Foe Alone, Liberator, ???
His second name from other players is “The Fairy Queen’s Husband-san”

A/n: I guess it’s just a status report on the current situation…

<T/n: Thanks Sjouren for the donation!>