Original subtitles

Want to take out the unique monster, Wethermon the Tombguard,

with just the three of us?

Pencil Knight

Huh?! A unique monster?!

Right.

Wethermon is likely a "special condition" type.

Possibilities that come to mind...

"Pick up or destroy a particular in-game object."

"Last a certain length of time."

"Survive a particular attack."

Pencil Knight

Sunraku

Katzo Tataki

You occasionally see "reason with him in the middle of battle," too.

Any idea on what the condition is?

I've tried a few different things,

and I think it's "Last a certain length of time."

Wethermon the Tombguard's combat conditions change as time passes.

First, we need to survive the ten minutes of Phase 1.

I won't let your memories be sad ones.

Please put Wethermon...

Please put my love to rest.

Putting Feelings Into a Moment, Part 2

What's this?

A Rebirth Tearjewel?

Rebirth Tearjewel

It's a resurrection item.

If you use it on a disabled player within ten seconds,

you can revive them with full HP.

Oh, you can do that?

That's a god-tier item, then!

I went from town to town this morning

and bought all twelve that were for sale.

Use them carefully, now.

They cost four million mahni apiece.

Four million?!

We'll get four Rebirth Tearjewels each.

Then there's this, which lets you revive at half your max HP—

Divine Lifesalve A secret formula sealed within specially treated glass. When used on a disabled target within ten seconds, it revives them with half of their max HP. Life is an ever-repeating cycle, but what a noble thing it is to fight against the tide! Accept

the Divine Lifesalve— of which we each get five.

Divine Lifesalve

That's the max number of extra lives you can get in this game.

We'll use these 27 resurrection items to challenge Wethermon the Tombguard.

Right.

Sunraku-kun will take point on holding off Wethermon's attacks.

If you get killed, Katzo-kun or I will revive you and take over for a bit.

And the same goes if one of us bites it, right?

Yes.

To achieve our goal of surviving long enough against the Colossus, Wethermon,

this is the only way.

I call it...

Zombie Tactics!

Wind Slash!

Sunraku

Katzo-kun!

Way ahead of you!

Rebirth Tearjewel

Take that!

Sunraku

I'm tagging in until you're ready!

What'd you learn, Sunraku?!

You can't beat him, so focus on dodging!

Well, simple enough!

You lasted two minutes, five seconds.

That's a record for a first encounter.

Very impressive.

So, what do you think after mixing it up with him?

Without one impressive plan, I can tell...

there's definitely no way I could keep pace with him.

Wethermon the Tombguard...

He definitely belongs in the "Seven Colossi" league with Lycagon.

Wind Slash!

Well, I spent a whole lot of money on this "impressive plan"...

So you'd better make it worthwhile.

Four million mahni for a single respawn, huh?

Empire Bee Twinblades Marsh Daggers [V3] Moonblade (Waxing)

Empire Bee Twinblades Category: Twinblade Durability Attribute: Corrode Multiplier: x1.15

Their durability is down to half from just two minutes of fighting?!

I guess you really do need a weapon with enhanced durability...

Time for the weapon whose durability I raised to the extreme...

Marsh Daggers V3!

Resurrection items, weapons...

On all fronts, the battle against Wethermon is one of endurance!

I'm tagging in, Katzo!

Okay! I'll take over again if you die!

Right!

Yeah, figured that wouldn't work...

Thunderclap!

Not that easy!

Skate Foot!

Too close!

Thunderclap calls down a five-second barrage of insta-kill lightning!

Five damn seconds?!

Okay, I'm getting the hang of this!

Even at close range, if I use Skate Foot

followed by running at max speed, I can just keep ahead of it!

Nimbus Fist.

Okay, got no clue on that one.

Tagging in!

Wind Slash!

Tagging in!

Thunderclap!

Screw all this!

I can't dodge that crap!

It'd be a miracle to stay alive for even thirty seconds against it!

You've done pretty amazingly, even so.

We still have about half our resurrection items left.

You've done very well.

Y'know, you've been playing with those scales for a while...

What's it all about?

Just preparing something.

It might be about time to use them, though.

He stopped?

Ten minutes.

Finally there, huh?

Ten minutes have passed.

Phase 2 begins.

E...

Export. Summon Call.

Tactical Mount...

Kirin!

Katzo-kun!

Right, I got this!

Guess my job as resurrection backup is over...

Just like the intel said...

When you fight Wethermon for ten minutes,

he summons Kirin, the robot horse!

Okay, so it's a horse...

But it's not exactly what I was picturing.

This is more like...

A dump truck with legs!

Tactical Mount Kirin

Phase 2.

Wethermon summons Kirin, and you must prevent them from combining

while surviving ten minutes, just like in Phase 1.

Katzo-kun! You handle Kirin!

If you let him stay in charge, he'll fire missiles and lasers everywhere!

And if he combines with Wethermon,

the whole plan'll be done for!

There'll be no way to stop them from trampling us,

and it'll be instant death when they do.

The only way to fight that is to stay on his back

and trigger his "buck-off animation."

Easier said than done, damn it!

How the hell do you expect me to play cowboy with this thing?!

Didn't you play a lot of Cavalry Crisis, that mounted fighting game?

Show me your riding technique!

Cavalry Crisis? What the hell is that?!

I've never heard of a trash game by that name!

Just focus on your job!

Gotcha!

Cav isn't a trash game!

It's more like a god-tier game!

And that was still just a fighting game...

Okay... how do I do this?

SLF's meticulous with its world-building,

and thinking about that usually leads you to a solution...

In other words, if Kirin is a machine,

he'll need maintenance!

There it is! A maintenance ladder!

Expectations met!

Yes!

Every horse needs a bridle, right?!

Skill, "Whip Puppet: Snake"!

Whip Puppet: Snake

Never thought my sub-job, "Archaeologist," would pay off like this!

The rodeo technique of the country's third-ranked Cavalry Crisis player...

I'll show it to you, you bucking bronco!

Hey!

Use Items Reward Scales

Sunraku-kun and Katzo-kun are holding off their targets,

Offer Items Silverite Amber

but at this rate, we'll run out of resurrection items before we hit the time limit.

Now's the time to use it...

The Reward Scales!

The Golden Scales

The Golden Scales is an NPC-run trading company.

In its possession is a

particular "unique item"—a category comprising the rarest items in the game.

It is known as the Reward Scales.

Reward Scales

By sacrificing items to the left-side "offering dish,"

you can receive various perks from the right-side "blessing dish."

Give me the best you've got, Scales.

I did everything I could and finally persuaded the Golden Scales to lend you to me.

The Rebirth Tearjewels aren't the only thing I dipped into my savings for.

High-value items I've won through my exploits, traded for and bought...

Offer Items Goldblood Ricewine Crimson Grapewine

Thirty million mahni's worth in total.

And I'm offering it up!

Offering Dish

30,002,310 Mahni

Choose Your Perk

More Stat Points

Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope!

The centrifugal force is gonna throw me off!

Damn it! I don't have enough stamina for this!

Even if I see the attacks coming,

if my stamina management is just a little off,

I fail to dodge it, and I die on the spot!

"The scales maintain equilibrium."

"Let its value be measured numerically."

"Bestow upon me the power to fight hundreds."

Albeit temporarily, I can award additional stat points to others...

The rate is one point per 100,000 mahni.

My entire savings—

Three hundred points in total!

Sunraku LV: 50 Mercenary (Twin Blade User) Oikatzo LV: 50 Monk

We'll start off with fifty points each!

Blessings Dish Perk: Additional Skill Points 300

Take them, you thieves!

Whoa!

My stamina's replenished?

No... my stats have increased!

Pencilgon's behind this, eh?

I was wondering why she was fiddling with those windows...

She gave me boosts to stamina and luck!

It's clear I can't deal damage, no matter where I hit you...

Weapon unequipped.

But...

Infight!

It's not my first time fighting someone like that.

There's a combat skill that doesn't pull from strength, but from luck!

Its name...

Wind—

Hand of Fortune!

—Slash!

Hand of Fortune

A swordsman without a sword is like curry without roux!

Suck on that! You're just a plate of white rice now!

Get yourself some pickled plums and try again later!

Skill...

Skate Foot!

Hell yeah!

I got your sword!

How you like that, sucker?!

And it's... so big and heavy!

Can't stick that in inventory, I guess...

Inventory: A player's item storage

But...

Making sure he can't use that split-second slash attack

or the lightning strikes is huge!

He's still got that Nimbus Fist going on, but...

I'm safe from that as long as I'm behind him.

Knowing that will let me avoid it, no problem.

Nice work!

I appreciate you raising my stats and all,

but that's not gonna let me stop this thing!

Katzo-kun! There's about four minutes left in Phase 2!

You've got to strap in for that long!

He'll keep to that pattern as long as you stay on him!

I get it, but—

Strap in...?

I just got a great idea.

A great idea?

Tidal Rush.

Close call!

I dodged in the nick of time...

But he almost had me there!

That's gotta be an insta-kill, for sure.

They even gave him a special move set for if you steal his sword...

This is a bad field layout!

Pencilgon!

I was so focused on evading, I ran in the wrong direction!

I turned his aggro on Pencilgon!

Tidal—

Eyes on the prize, Wethermon!

I've still got your sword!

He can grab me from that angle, too?!

Tidal Rush.

Sunraku

Sunraku-kun!

Nimbus Fist.

The safe zone for Nimbus Fist is behind Wethermon!

Seven, eight...

Let's get back to basics, Wethermon.

Wind Slash!

Sunraku-kun!

One more death could doom our chances!

If that last attack had been anything other than Nimbus Fist,

he could've taken us all out!

Sorry, okay?!

I guess he's better off with the sword! At least, I know those animations!

Glad to hear it!

Katzo-kun?!

W-W-Watch this!

H-H-He can't b-b-buck me off like this!

I-I-I can stay on him the whole time!

That... was your great idea?

You want me to go tighter?!

Fine, whatever. If that's what you're into.

What? What's going on?

It's just gonna distract you, so it's better if you don't look.

Got it!

Th-The shaking is d-d-raining my HP, I th-th-think!

I'm b-b-built to tank damage, b-b-but I might not last too long like this!

That's fine.

Huh?

I'm not getting a "you beat me" vibe, here...

Right.

Stay on your guard, both of you.

Even when Ashura Kai was a halfway decent clan,

we only made it this far one time.

In other words...

Phase 2 is over.

The real challenge starts now.

Phase 3...

The last time I made it here, he wiped out the Ashura Kai with his first move.

When the cracks formed in Wethermon the Tombguard's armor...

He let out a howl and unleashed a shock wave across the entire field.

When it hit us, all our buffs and armor didn't matter a bit.

We died instantly.

Sounds like a pretty solid death sentence...

But you look like you've got a plan.

We'll see about that.

Saint's Holy Water

If this doesn't do the trick, try to dodge it as best you can.

In SLF, the keys to victory come from the story.

I'd always assumed Wethermon was some kind of cyborg,

who'd modified his body with technology from the Divinity...

But...

He called Wethermon the Tombguard "a living corpse" who'd "outlived his time"?

That's what gave me the key.

His classification is "undead monster"!

For undead, you use holy water!

And that's not just any holy water...

It's holy water the Saint of Love, Eristella, put her heart into...

The saint's own holy water!

It's the best potion for fighting the undead you can get!

SLF Mini

SLF Theater!

The Day Starts Early for a Trash Game Hunter

Mini!

SLF Theater

The day starts early for a trash game hunter.

Why are you up so early?

I'm heading out into the country,

so I needed to catch the first train.

As the trash game hunter takes the maglev line west

he watches the scenery out the window.

Mr. Sunraku's gaze is focused.

I got a tip that there's a shop

with an unopened copy of the limited edition Moody Music Adventure.

What is Moody Music Adventure?

You know how modern VR games are generally soundless?

That is to say, they mostly don't use BGM?

But there are also quite a few full-dive VR games

that use BGM as seen in the display copies.

Put simply, most people find it annoying and end up

lowering the volume or turning off the BGM,

but this one's a mix between rhythm game and action RPG,

and someone had the crazy idea to not let you turn the BGM volume down.

So it's this trash game where you

have to do rhythm game stuff with this really annoying BGM.

The limited edition comes packaged with the main character's headphones.

That nice and all, but who'd want to wear the headphones you

associate with this BGM that gives you a headache?

As he speaks on with the force of a raging bonfire,

there is a bitterness in his tone, combined with a strange sense of delight.

After getting a brief breakfast at the station,

he arrives at the shop in question.

But his eyes are harsh.

What are you doing?

Look at this.

It's a folding chair.

It's still warm.

Have they been here since before the first train?

This is the sign of a crazy trash game hunter.

With his hand to the lingering warmth upon the folding chair,

Mr. Sunraku scours the area around him.

There's no way there are two limited edition unopened copies in there.

Which means...

The moment the shop opens, we'll have to both run for it.

Trash game—it refers to the content of the game itself.

Mr. Sunraku undergoes a focused warm-up routine as his eyes gaze ahead.

At times, he must even fight his own kind...

But there's a smile on his lips.

So, how'd it go?

You get into a brawl?

Nah.

The person was there for something totally different.

So it wasn't a crazy trash game hunter, huh?

What do you mean, "crazy trash game hunter"?

Please don't ask me that.