Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 2 - Chapter 8

Bonus Short Stories 
Marilyn 
Paladin, Ray Starling 
While on our way to Gideon, our group had set up camp for the night. 
It was past dinnertime and we were all well fed. But while most of us were just relaxing around the campfire, Rook was taking care of Marilyn, who probably needed it, considering that she’d spent the whole day pulling the dragon carriage. 
Mind you, I couldn’t help but wonder how a person actually takes care of a triceratops-looking dragon, especially since Rook seemed to be cleaning her in a really skilled manner, giving the impression that he was actually accustomed to this activity. 
“You seem pretty used to this,” I said. “Do you have a pet reptile or something?” With him being a foreign player, I could easily picture him owning an iguana or the like. 
“No, I merely happened to learn how to take care of animals,” he answered my question. 
...Did he go to a vet school or something? I thought. 
“But your learning didn’t actually cover dinosaurs, right?” 
“Right,” Rook nodded. “I had to go through a bit of trial and error, but I’m gradually getting a grasp of how Marilyn prefers to be touched.” 
After saying that, he used a particularly thick piece of cloth to wash the inner part of Marilyn’s neck, making her “MHOO” in a gleeful manner. That action made the triceratops-looking dragon seem somewhat dog-like, reminding me of the dog I used to own. 
“It hasn’t even been five days since Grantzian gave her to me, but I feel that Marilyn and I are getting along just fine,” said Rook. 
“Speaking of which, I know you got her as a reward, but why did the artist have her in the first place?” I asked. 
To my mind, artists were recluses who shut themselves in their studios and spent their days painting, sculpting or whatever, so I found it a bit strange that he’d had a Demi-Dragon like Marilyn and a dragon carriage to go with her. 
“Grantzian is highly passionate when it comes to looking for inspiration for his works, so, a few times a year, he goes on a dragon carriage ride around the kingdom,” Rook answered. 
That made sense. The guy’s model searching quest was difficulty level 6, which made it pretty obvious that his standards for inspiration were through the roof and thus couldn’t be contained in just a single area. 
“Wait, then why was he okay with giving Marilyn away?” I asked. After all, he couldn’t go on his inspiration-searching without a dragon carriage and a Demi-Dragon to pull it. 
“He has a few more land-dragons like her in his possession,” Rook said. “In fact, there’s even a Pure-Dragon, so losing Marilyn isn’t a problem for him.” 
I hear that Pure-Dragons are a luxury enjoyed by only the wealthiest of merchants, so I can only assume that Grantzian is making some serious money with his art. 
That thought seemed to appear on my face, and Rook didn’t hesitate to tell me a certain fact. 
“The cheapest of Grantzian’s works go for 10,000,000 lir.” 
That was far more than I could possibly imagine. Picturing a work that would go for that much was just otherworldly to me, which probably had to do with the fact that my siblings and I were all completely out of touch with the concept of art. My big sister’s artistic sense needed a sanity check, my big brother’s idea of art didn’t make any sense whatsoever, while I was just painfully average in that regard. 
“Anyway, he uses them in his search for artistic inspiration, right?” I said. “Well, with Marilyn — a Demi-Dragon — utterly destroying the monsters in this area, I imagine that Pure-Dragons allow him to go farther and... Oh, right.” 
My words made me remember something. 
“Didn’t a monster she killed today drop a box?” I asked. 
Boss monsters such as the Demi-Dragon Worm I’d defeated dropped boxes that had several items in them. The bear-like boss monster that Marilyn had killed while we were traveling through the mountain hadn’t been an exception. 
“Yes it did,” said Rook. “Shall I open it?” 
“Yeah, I’m a bit curious about what it dropped.” 
And so, he began opening the box. 
 
The Honey Bear Claw that Rook received from the box became the cause of the terrible incident known as “Marie’s Midnight Snack Madness,” but that was a different story entirely... 
Hugo and Piloting 
Paladin, Ray Starling 
Riding Hugo’s Magingear, we made our way towards the hideout of the Gouz-Maise Gang. It was located in the Cruella Mountain Belt — specifically, the second closest mountain from Gideon. Naturally, arriving there would take a while, so we used the travel time to discuss how our quest could go and how we’d handle it. While we were having such talks, however, a certain question came to mind. 
“How are you controlling this thing, anyway?” I asked. 
Though he was still in his Magingear, I could tell that my question somewhat perplexed him. 
“I’m honestly not sure how to answer that,” he said. “There’s nothing more to it than the Piloting skill, really.” 
“That’s exactly what I’m wondering about. Can you really control a robot just by having the skill? Is it seriously that simple?” 
A short while ago, I’d fallen off Silver because I hadn’t had the Horse Riding skill. That made sense — I’d merely lacked the grasp of the necessary technique for it. However, I didn’t really think I could do it just by learning Horse Riding. I’d never properly ridden a horse before, and a single skill just didn’t seem like enough to overcome that. Due to the very same reasons, it was hard for me to imagine that something as complex as a robot could be piloted just by meeting the skill requirement. 
“I see,” he said. “I had the very same question when I began. As for the answer, well... having the skill is enough.” 
“Seriously?” 
“Piloting, Horse Riding, and Riding are not just requirements and mount-strengthening skills — they’re also sense skills that tell you how you should control your mounts.” 
Sense skills... Like the ones that allow you to draw well and cook good food, huh? I thought. 
“Basically,” he added, “if I think that ‘I want to raise the Marshall II’s right arm,’ I get a mental image of what I should do with the controls to accomplish that.” 
“So you instantly understand the controls based on what you wish to do at that particular moment?” I asked. 
“That’s about right,” said Hugo. “However, it’s not always ‘instant.’ It takes more time for the mental image to form if the pilot’s skill level is low. That delay is almost gone by the time they reach skill level 5, which is the maximum for Pilot — the low-rank job in this grouping.” 
I see. I thought. I guess the same applies to when they try to do any complex movements. They think it, get the mental image, and follow it by properly handling the levers and gauges and the like. 
“If we use the skill to actually and thoroughly learn the controls, we can pilot these robots without having to use the mental images as a crutch,” he added. “Becoming like one of those ace pilots from mecha anime isn’t a pipe dream. Then again, it could always go in the opposite direction.” 
“What do you mean?” I asked. 
“The mental images only help you to do ‘the movements you want to make.’ If the movements you think of are sloppy, the skill won’t help, no matter how high its level is.” 
“Oh, I see,” I said. If the action the pilot wanted to take didn’t fit the situation, actually going through with it would be a mistake. 
“What about you, Hugo?” I asked. “Are you fine in that regard?” 
“...Heh,” he grinned. 
Okay, what am I supposed to make from that implicative, pompous smile? 
“When he started piloting, Hugo broke a Magingear by making it move in a weird way,” said Cyco. 
“Don’t mind that. I’ve gotten a lot better since then,” interjected Hugo. “I’m far past the point of failing a landing and dislocating the robot’s hip joint.” 
Not saying a word in response, I pictured that scenario with the Magingear we were riding, and the result was pretty surreal. 
“Again, I assure you that there’s no problem with my piloting now. I’m valuable on the battlefield — you can count on that.” 
“All right,” I said. “I’ll be relying on you, then.” 
With my question answered, we continued making our way towards the hideout.

Due to possible spoilers, it’s recommended you only read this after finishing Volume 2! 
Hugo and... 
A certain day of a certain month, Mechanic, Hugo Lesseps 
After reaching maximum level on Pilot, I chose Mechanic as my second job. It was the optimal choice not only because it increased the amount of things I could do in the clan, but also because it helped me fulfill the “Have a certain amount of machine-related skills” condition for the high-rank job I was aiming for — High Pilot. 
I spent my days raising my job and skill levels by completing the mechanic’s guild quests that got to me through my clan. At the rate I was going, I would reach max level in just two weeks or so. On a seemingly-standard day when I was doing regular Mechanic work, the clan’s headquarters suddenly got noisy. The place was always full of hustle and bustle, but I could easily tell that whatever caused the noise was completely outside the norm. 
“Did something happen?” I asked a fellow clan member. 
“The experimental machine from the fourth laboratory behind this wall here seems to have gone on a rampage,” he said. “They’re trying to get it under control now.” 
I quickly recalled that the fourth laboratory was testing grudge-driven engines. A machine powered by such a thing had gone on a rampage? 
“We might be in danger...” I said. 
Afer all, unlike standard Magingears, they don’t need the pilot’s MP and can stay active just by absorbing the surrounding grudge. We can only stop it by destroying it, but— 
Suddenly, before I could even finish my thought, a Magingear broke through the wall to the facility I was in. 
It looked much like a Marshall II, but the details were different. The biggest one was the fact that, instead of a cockpit, it had a glass case-like object with a dark purple light flickering inside it. There was little doubt that it was the rampaging experimental machine. 
“UUUUAAAAAAAHHHH!” it roared in an unworldly manner. 
After haphazardly destroying anything within its reach, it fixed its sights on the living. Masters or tians working within the clan — they were all the same to it. 
“Oh no! I have to get the Garage, and...!” 
I tried to take out the Marshall II that the clan leader had given me, but I was far too slow. Before I could even spread the sheet, let alone begin to fight against it, it got close to the nearby tians. Right when I thought that they would surely die... 
“Deadly Explosion.” 
The grudge flickering within the machine gathered into one point and created a small explosion. The scattering of the grudge — the power and the will forcing it to act — made the experimental machine drop the ground and cease all movement. It was now more like a corpse than anything else. The grudge-driven machine that had been about to hurt people had suddenly lost all the malice driving it to do that. 
“Th-Thank you, Mr. Benetnasch!” Zerbahl exclaimed. He was one of our clan members. 
“I should’ve been there to observe the experiment. My apologies,” a man I didn’t recognize answered. 
He was a man with a predominantly purple girl at his side. Though I couldn’t recognize him by appearance, I was familiar with the name “Benetnasch.” He was the King of Tartarus — a Superior who didn’t belong to any of the seven countries and a collaborator in this experiment, responsible for gathering the required grudge, among other tasks. It was clear that he was the one who’d stopped the rampaging robot. 
Despite that, however, he apologized for this event as if everything bad that ever happened around him was entirely his fault. 
After he left, as part of my Mechanic work, I helped with the dismantling of the experimental machine. In the end, I didn’t get to talk to the King of Tartarus directly. 
However, though I didn’t know when or where, I had a hunch that he — a fellow Master with a Maiden-Type Embryo — and I would meet again one day, in some form. 
Carriage 
Paladin, Ray Starling 
Our group was making our way towards Gideon. 
“Riding this thing really strengthens my awareness of the fact that I’m in a fantasy world,” I said as I looked at the scenery outside the carriage’s window. Our means of transport on this journey was Rook’s very own dragon carriage, drawn by Marilyn... a Trihorn Demi-Dragon. 
A dragon carriage was like your usual carriage, except larger and sturdier, which gave a unique sort of “power” to the overall impression it gave off. Also, with Marilyn having the appearance of a triceratops, this vehicle had a particularly strong “fantasy” vibe to it. I was told that dragon carriages such as this were quite popular among merchants. That wasn’t just because dragons had tougher legs than equestrian monsters and could thus pull more weight, but also because they were simply stronger. 
Marilyn had killed that bear-like boss monster that had gotten in our way in just one hit, clearly showing that — as was standard in fantasy — Infinite Dendrogram’s dragons were creatures of great strength. They were far more reliable than the average hired guard. Even I would have tons of trouble beating Marilyn without Nemesis’s skills. After all, being a Demi-Dragon, she was on the same tier as the Demi-Dragon Worm I had struggled against right after entering this world. 
Due to that strength, most standard merchant carriages were pulled by either battle-ready Demi-Dragons or smaller, dinosaur-like monsters, while the traders with the fattest purses would get themselves a Pure-Dragon. Pure-Dragons were quite a rarity on the markets, and even the Masters that had them were almost always true veterans. 

“With a beauteous mountain scenery such as this, snacks become simply superb.” 
The sudden voice made me shift my gaze from the view outside to the inside of the carriage. I saw Nemesis, looking through the window at the opposite side as she ate the ice cream we’d bought back at the capital. The ice cream looked completely new — not showing any signs of melting. The reason for that, too, was this dragon carriage. It had once been owned by an artist known as Grantzian. Thus, for comfort’s sake, it had come equipped with a time-stopped inventory. 
Marie had said that their inventories were another reason why dragon carriages were so widely used. They allowed a carriage to belie its apparent capacity and carry as many goods as a freight train. Also, if you were willing to part with a nice sum of money, you could have them equipped with time-stopped inventories that allowed the transportation of food without the risk of it rotting. This was the reason why the capital’s restaurants had fresh seafood on the menus despite the city being landlocked, and the reason why these carriages were such a popular means of transporting goods. 
Trains, on the other hand, were highly unreliable due to monsters often destroying the tracks, and from what I’d been told, such technology had yet to go beyond the experimental trams in the imperium’s capital. 
Man, the environment sure has a strong effect on the development of transportation, I thought while being told about those circumstances. 
“You should also get your own means of transportation,” said Nemesis. “After all, you’re a Paladin — a holy knight.” 
You have a point. A knight without a horse to ride seems pretty off. Is it necessary for a knight’s mount to be a horse, though? To be honest, I’m more used to motorbikes. 
“Then why not get a horse that feels like a motorbike?” asked Nemesis. 
“Yeah. Nice joke,” I said in response. 
I know this is a fantasy world and all, but such horses just don’t exist, I thought. 
 
It took a mere three days for me to be proven wrong. 
The Prism Steed 
Ten Months Ago, The Tomb Labyrinth 
It was said that the world of Infinite Dendrogram had once been home to a civilization with technology far more advanced than it was now. The relics of that civilization seemed to be the result of merging magic and machinery into one. Such relics could be found by either excavating the dungeons known as “Ruins,” which were found all over the world, or as random drops from created dungeons like the Tomb Labyrinth. 
“A horse?” said a man who’d just received one such relic by exploring a created dungeon. 
It was a robotic horse. Covered in black, shining armor reminiscent of obsidian and equipped with eight legs like Sleipnir of Norse myth, it bore the name “Obsidian Earth-Edge.” 
It was one of the five original Prism Steeds that had been created by Flagman, an artisan from the pre-ancient civilization. Being both a powerful, special piece of equipment and a work of art worth many a million, it was a treasure coveted by countless people. Anyone to receive it would surely be gleeful... 
“It’s not like I can use it, though.” 
...yet the man was painfully lukewarm about it. 
“...!” 
Unsatisfied with its new owner’s reaction, Obsidian Earth-Edge kicked the ground as if to show off. 
It seemed to be saying, “Try riding me and then decide,” so the man did exactly that. He didn’t have the Horse Riding skill, so he only got on Obsidian Earth-Edge after equipping an item that gave it to him: the Amulet of the Equestrian Tribe. 
The jet-black, robotic steed instantly began galloping. Its eight metallic legs thundered on the ground, echoing far and wide. The power of its kicks and the speed it reached were simply incomparable to that of any equestrian monster the man had ever ridden. As if that weren’t enough, Obsidian Earth-Edge neighed and used its ability to display its true power. 
It was a skill that allowed it to control the earth. In but a moment, countless stone pillars popped out of the ground below. The metallic steed then began jumping on their sides, from one to the other, making it feel as though it was running on air, following a path that hadn’t been there before. With that, Obsidian Earth-Edge finished demonstrating its powers, and the technological prowess of the olden civilization, to its new master. 
After that was done, the metallic steed neighed as if to say “How do you like me now?” 
“You’re a pretty great horse,” the new owner said in response, fully recognizing the power of Obsidian Earth-Edge. “Still, I won’t be using you,” he added, fully rejecting the Prism Steed as viable equipment. 
“?!” 
Obsidian Earth-Edge looked wholly confused and wanted to know the reason for the man’s decision. 
“After all, I’m faster on foot,” said the man, Over Gladiator Figaro, casually. 
Figaro was the owner a vanguard-type Superior Job and a Superior Embryo, so his battle speed could easily break the sound barrier. No matter how advanced Obsidian Earth-Edge was, it couldn’t go that fast, disqualifying it from being used by its new owner. While looking as though it wanted to say “How does that make any sense?” the Prism Steed was put into Figaro’s inventory. 
 
Though Obsidian Earth-Edge didn’t meet the ludicrous requirements to be used by Figaro on a daily basis, there were some duels that could only be done on mounts, so the Over Gladiator participated in those by using the Prism Steed. 
The metallic relic was glad that it didn’t end up being completely useless. 
License 
Paladin, Ray Starling 
“This wind feels great,” said Nemesis. 
“Seriously,” I agreed. 
It was early in the morning. Nemesis and I were in the Nex Plains, riding Silver and testing him. 
“On the road to Gideon, we rode Marilyn’s dragon carriage, and it surprises me just how different rideable objects can be,” she commented. 
“Oh, yeah. You haven’t ridden many things yet, huh?” 
“Indeed,” she nodded. “The dragon carriage, Silver, and the Magingear are the only things that come to mind. And I was in my weapon form while riding that last one.” 
Infinite Dendrogram had many rideable things. In the Kingdom of Altar, the most popular type was equestrian monsters. There were also lots of inorganic ones, such as Dryfe’s “Magingear” machines and Granvaloa’s ships. For all I knew, Huang He, being a fantasy country based on ancient China, might have flying clouds. You could probably roleplay some Journey to the West or pretend you were searching for the Dragonballs. 
“Still, I feel that this one is unlike any of them,” I said. 
Nemesis said nothing. 
Silver, the mount I was riding, was a fully metallic robot horse. Riding it didn’t actually remind me of any horse I’d ridden in the past. If anything, Silver felt more like a horse-shaped motorbike. 
“Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I’ve ridden a motorbike,” I added. 
I’d gotten my license in my first year of high school, but I hadn’t ridden one since I’d started focusing on my exams in the middle of my second year. This was largely because I didn’t have my own motorbike — I’d only used the one that my big sister left at the house. These days, I did my real-life shopping and the like by using public transport or my bicycle. 
Since I had the license, it might be a good idea to get my own motorbike. Or perhaps, with me being a college student now, it was time for me to get a car driver’s license. However, that would mean having to go to a driving school, which would likely lessen my Dendro time. 
College was also starting in two weeks, which would surely affect my schedule in that regard. Unlike my brother, I didn’t have all the income and time in the world. 
“Learning to ride a vehicle on the other side seems like a time-consuming activity,” commented Nemesis. 
“Well, I certainly can’t deny that,” I said. 
Having to get the required skills in Dendro can be pretty draining, too, though, as you’re aware, I thought. 
“By the way, ‘motorbike license,’ was it?” said Nemesis. “You say that you have one, but what about Brother Bear?” 
“Yeah, my brother has a cruiser motorbike, and also a driver’s license with a large car to go with it,” I answered. 
“I see.” 
“Oh, he also has licenses for boats and wheeled construction vehicles.” 
“...Hm?” 
“There’s also the helicopter license, and... oh yeah, he can also fly light aircraft. Like Cessnas.” 
He got the license for that in Hawaii, I remembered. 
“Does Brother Bear have some unique occupation?” asked Nemesis. 
“Nope, he’s unemployed.” 
He hadn’t had anything better to do during his school years and afterwards, during his NEET life after he’d graduated from college (which still continued to this day), so he went around taking any licenses he could get his hands on. Due to that, he often walked around with a notebook full of only licenses. 
“My brother’s a... very skilled individual,” I concluded. 
“I hope we get a chance to be on a ship he pilots someday,” said Nemesis. 
I said nothing. 
My brother’s ship license only existed in reality. However, he rode a tank here in Dendro, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if he had a boat, as well. 
“I’ll call and ask him about that,” I said. 
With that thought on my mind, I continued riding Silver. 
Lei-Lei and Fishing 
A certain day of a certain month, in the West Sea 
To the west of the Kingdom of Altar, there was an area of ocean known simply as the “West Sea.” Surrounded by a scenery with no land in sight, a single boat was floating in the middle of it. Those familiar with real-life fishing boats would instantly recognize it as one and likely make a comment about it being quite sizeable. 
“The seaaa iiis broooaaad aaand biiiig...” 
A strange song was coming from the boat, sung by a needlessly moving, beautiful voice. The singer herself was as strange as her lyrics. Despite having the physical appearance of a Scandinavian beauty, she was wearing a Chinese qipao. The fact that she was on a boat and looked like that while holding a fishing rod made her into quite the bundle of mysteries. 
She was Lei-Lei the “Prodigal of Feasts.” Among the four Superiors of the kingdom, she was infamous for being even more unpredictable than King of Destruction the “Unknown.” Such a person was now merely fishing in the West Sea. 
“Oh! We’ve got a live one!” she said, upon feeling something pull on the fishing line. She began winding the reel on the rod. Upon further examination, one would notice that the rod was metallic, while the line was much like a wire. 
“It feels like we grabbed hold of something big!” she cried. The rod bent to its absolute limit and the boat began to tilt, clearly showing that whatever was on the other side of the line was considerably heavy. 
Any bystanders would think that the rod would break or the ship would flip, but that had little chance of happening. The Mythical metal that the rod had been made out of allowed it to continue doing its job even as it bent the way it did. 
“Heeere, fishy fishy!” she called after a few minutes of struggling, sounding completely overjoyed. At the same time, the shape of something gigantic appeared on the water’s surface. It was a sea-dragon reminiscent of a plesiosaurus — clearly a Pure-Dragon, too. 
“Ha HA! How I could bear two whole hours without this sweet sunlight is just beyond me!” And holding on to its neck, there was a guy in a bear suit — Shu Starling. There was a metal wire wrapped around his waist, and it didn’t even need to be said that it was connected to Lei-Lei’s fishing rod. 
“Good job on getting this big boy!” she said. 
“The boat won’t bear the weight, you know?” he said. “Save the praises for later! Hurry up and catch this thing before it flips!” 
Shu held on to the flailing sea-dragon, urging Lei-Lei to stop holding her thumb up and get to business. 
“Sure, sure!” Lei-Lei replied as she took out some drugs and threw them into the water. 
They were the kind that gave the Charm status effect. Normally, such drugs would have little effect on a Pure-Dragon. However, with Lei-Lei’s Superior Embryo’s skill — the negation of status effect resistances — the mighty and proud sea-dragon got Charmed as if it were no big deal. Then Lei-Lei changed her job to Tamer and tamed it just as easily. 
“And that’s the quest done!” she exclaimed. 
“Good work,” said Shu. 
The two were on a quest to capture a sea-dragon type Pure-Dragon. Though Lei-Lei was a player that couldn’t log in all that often, she and Shu would sometimes go on difficult quests together. The fact that he was almost always online helped a lot with those arrangements. 
In this quest, Shu’d had the role of being the hook and catching the sea-dragon, while Lei-Lei had had to pull them both up and tame the thing. Clearly, Shu had been the one with the harder role, but no one involved had any problems with that. The only problem was with the suit. 
“Shu, you reek of the sea,” said Lei-Lei. “Your pelt is all stiff, too.” 
“I could breathe just fine with the Underwater Breathing accessory, but the seawater sure wasn’t good fur my fur,” said Shu in response. 
He had dived into the sea while wearing a bear suit, so that result was to be expected. In fact, normally, that action would be suicide. Many might’ve suggested that he should’ve taken off the suit before diving, but that was a thought that neither of them had considered. 
After reflecting upon this incident, Shu spent two weeks at sea, hunting for a UBM to get a special reward suit for underwater activities, but that was a story for another time.