「イベント最終日がぁ............キターーーー!」
「ユーミルうるせえ。何でお前はそんなに元気なんだ」
「そういうハインドは元気が無いな。腹でも壊したか?」
「壊すか。俺はダサかろうと寝る時は腹巻きを着けてる」
手編みであったかいんだぞ?
って、今はそんなのどうでもいい話だ。
今はイベント最終日である水曜、午後十時。
イベントは木曜の0時きっかりで終了するので、残りは実質二時間だ。
その追い込みでごった返すプレイヤー達を掻き分け、俺達四人はホーマ平原を西へ。
「ハインドさん。今夜は早めにログインしていたみたいですけど、何をなさっていたんですか?」
「ああ。ちょっとインベントリの整理と、銀行に所持金を預けにな。ゲーム内とはいえ、不必要に金を持ち歩くのは落ち着かなくてな」
「そう......なのですか?」
リィズは俺の行動に少し疑問を持ったようだったが、それ以上は追及してこなかった。
トビは......ああ、こりゃ勘付いてる顔だな。
二人よりもTBの情報も熱心に収集してるから、それも当然か。
俺の肩に腕を回すと、コソコソと二人に背を向けて聞こえない様に話し掛けてくる。
「ハインド殿......まさか取ったのでござるか? 例のスキル。昨夜の解散後、気になって神官のスキルツリーを確認したのでござるが......」
「取った。スキルポイントの書を使ったらギリギリ足りた。ただ、その
「おおう......構わないのでござるか? 今回は良くとも、今後の戦闘で他のプレイヤーよりも遅れを取ることに......」
「しゃーない。二人には終わるまでは言うなよ? 気ぃ使ってちゃんと動けなくなるだろうから」
「......男でござるな! ハインド殿は!」
「お前は大袈裟なんだよ。これはゲームだぞ?」
男二人で笑い合っていると、ユーミルとリィズが同じタイミングで首を傾げた。
いや、動きがシンクロした程度でそんなに嫌そうな顔をするなよ......お互いに。
ガンを飛ばし合うな。
最後にもう一度、メニューを開いてランキングを確認しておく。
1位:傭兵アルベルト(重戦士) 9978Pt
2位:ユーミル(騎士) 8893Pt
3位;ヒポポタマス(重戦士) 8354Pt
4位:(  ゚Д ゚)(重戦士) 8210Pt
5位:パンダ・ザ・グレート(重戦士) 8122Pt
三位が入れ替わって、一位が昨夜よりも更にダメージを伸ばしているな......。
特にこの一位の人は凄い、ぶっちぎりじゃないか。
――が、この数値はある意味では分かり易い。
要は、一万ダメージを超えてみせればいいんだろう?
「じゃあ、行くかね」
俺のゆるっとした号令に、三人が一斉に頷いた。
それから約三十分後、午後十時半。
激しく暴れていた『エルダータートル』がようやく高速スピンを止める。
同時に、それはHPが残り少ない事を示しているのと同じだ。
「よし、ユーミル!」
「待て待て、ハインド! これでは昨日と同じだぞ!?」
「いいから。俺を信じろよ」
ユーミルは俺の真意を測りかねている様子だったが、やがて首を縦に振った。
ま、何も教えていないから仕方ないな。
「......分かった!」
ユーミルが剣を持ち替えた直後、新スキルの詠唱を開始。
大魔法の演出である巨大な白い魔法陣が足元に浮かび、周囲を眩く照らしていく。
長い詠唱が完了し、俺は――『サクリファイス』という魔法をユーミルに向けて発動した。
すると、ユーミルの体が金色の光を帯びて輝く。
「おおっ! この金色のオーラは、勝利フラグという奴だな! 気が高まる......溢れるぅ......!」
「ば、馬鹿言ってないで、早く! 何コレめっちゃ体痛い! うぎぎぎぎぎ!」
毒や火傷のスリップダメージとは比較にならない速度で、俺のHPが減少していく。
それはいい、このスキルの仕様だ。
己の身を神へと捧げ、引き換えに加護を願う――そんなスキル。
しかし、この体がバラバラになりそうな痛みは完全に誤算だっ!
「は、ハインドさん!? 物凄い勢いでHPが削れてますよ! 今、回復を――」
「待てリィズ、ポーションはいい! このスキルは使用中回復不可なんだ! イダダダダ! トビィ!」
「うむ! 足止めを頼む!」
トビが影縫いを、ユーミルが前へ。
そして長かったイベントの最後の一撃が、気合の声と共にエルダータートルに振り下ろされた。
轟音、四方に飛んで行く土砂、更には凄まじい風圧が周囲に撒き散らされる。
表示ダメージ――『17437』。
それを見届けた瞬間、俺のHPは0になった。
あ......れ? 地面が、こんなに近くに......。
「兄さん? 兄さん!? いやぁぁぁぁっ!」
ちょっ――リィズ、これはゲームだから。
だから、そんなに悲壮な叫び声を上げなくても......。
あー、聖水もったいないって。
蘇生も不可能だからさ、これ......。
やがて周囲の物音も聞こえなくなり、視界が灰色に染まっていく。
体が言う事を聞かない、力が入らない。
体温が、大事な熱がスーッと抜けていくのが感覚で分かる。
ダメージを見てはしゃいでいたユーミルが、慌ててこちらに駆け寄ってくる......その姿を見たのを最後に、俺の意識はぷっつりと途切れた。
「怖っ! 怖ぁっ!? 何この無駄なリアリティー!?」
意識が戻った瞬間、俺は思わず叫んだ。
近くに居たNPCが大声にびくりと肩を竦ませる。
あ、ごめんなさい。
ここは......ヒースローの街か?
確か、死に戻る場所は最後に訪れた街か村だとトビが――
「神官の......ソロで......かな?」
「......ないと......の、ばか......だろ?」
ひそひそと男女のプレイヤー二人組から陰口を叩かれているのを感じる。
リスポーン地点でわざわざ観察してるお前らの方が馬鹿だよ! バーカ!
ソロで突っ込んで死に戻ったんじゃないっての、畜生......いてて。
筋肉痛みたいにスキルの後遺症が残ってるし、気分は最悪だ。
もの酒場で待っていると三人にメールを出してから、移動を開始した。
事前に預けていた所持金を銀行のNPCを通じて引き出し、耐久値の減った装備品を修理してから酒場へ。
これで残るデスペナルティは能力値低下だけだが......終わるまで全部で二十分なのか。
買い物などの雑事を済ませても余るし、絶妙に邪魔な時間だ。
今夜はもう関係ないだろうけど。
あのダメージなら、二位以下に抜かれることは万に一つもないだろう。
「ハインドさん!」
丁度四人掛けの席が空いていたので確保しておくと、酒場に転がる様に入ってきたリィズが抱き着いてくる。
遅れて入ってきたトビは済まなそうな顔を、ユーミルは腕組みをして怒りを発散しているのが分かった。
ああ、もしかしなくても、トビが全部話しちゃったのか。
――これは、場所選びを失敗したかな......。
「と、取り敢えず外に出ようか......」
やっかみと冷やかしが入り混じった視線を浴びながら、抱き着いたままのリィズを連れて外へ。
街外れの花壇の傍のベンチで、俺達は腰を落ち着けた。
ええと......まずはリィズか。
まで俺にしがみついてんだ?
ずっとくっついたままで、そのまま一緒にベンチに座ってしまったのだが......。
「あー、その、リィズ......?」
「嫌なんです......」
「な、何が?」
顔を胸の辺りに押し付けながら、くぐもった声で話してくる。
不意に顔を離すと、目の端に涙を浮かべて俺の顔を両手で挟んできた。
あの、兄さんは非常に恥ずかしいのですが、この体勢......。
「例えゲームだと分かっていても、兄さんが死ぬところを見るのは嫌なんです......! もう二度と、あのスキルは使わないで下さい!」
「でもは禁止です! 兄さん!!」
「......。ま、まあ、スキル中は体が痛いし? 死に戻りの時も妙に心細かったし? うん。しんどいからもうやらんよ。だから泣くなって......」
泣いていることに気付いていなかったのか、俺が指で涙を拭おうとすると、顔を赤くして帽子を深く被ってしまった。
それでようやく体が離れる。
こんなにリィズに過剰な反応をされるとは思わなかった......少し反省。
「あ、あー......しかし、本当に心細いでござるよな! 死に戻りの時は!」
「お、おう。トビも体験済みだったな。徐々に体から生命力が抜けていく感じが怖いよな! 余り何度も経験したいもんじゃないぜ!」
トビにも気を遣わせてしまっている。
すまん、今度学校でジュース
ぎこちない笑顔を交わしていると、先程から腕組みを解かないユーミルが俺の前に威圧するように立った。
「ハインド。私への弁明がまだだぞ?」
「そ......そう、でした。あ、あのう......」
「全てトビから聞いた。あれはスキルポイントを10も消費する、誰も取らないようなネタスキルだと。......お前を犠牲にするような勝ち方をして、私が喜ぶとでも思ったのか!?」
「......確かに俺のスキルポイントまでサクリファイスしたけど、イベントでの勝ちは確定したようなもんだからいいじゃないか。ハッハッハッ!」
「全然笑えないんだが」
「はいすみません」
スキルの取得に必要なポイントは通常1~2、大技でも精々3といった所だ。
この『サクリファイス』を取得したことで、俺のスキル構成はレベル30の神官としてはボロボロのグダグダだ。
『ヒーリング』の上位互換である『ヒーリング・プラス』、パーティ全体を小回復する『エリアヒール』等々......。
スキルは基本的にポイントの振り直しが不可なので、今日のような事態を見越して取得していなかった有用なスキルの数々だ。
対して『サクリファイス』ときたら、もたらす効果こそあのように絶大だが回復不可・蘇生不可になった上で必ず使用者が死ぬ正にネタスキルである。
パーティの回復役が真っ先に死ぬ、蘇生不可で必ずデスペナルティを受ける、神官本人には何の得もないという三重苦のスキルだ。
もなので、俺は慎重に言葉を選んだ。
「それでも、俺は報酬を受け取って喜ぶお前の顔が見たかったんだけど......駄目だったか?」
「なっ......!?」
あれ、予想していた反応と違うな......。
横目に見えるトビのにやけ面が妙に鬱陶しい。
「うひひひ。ユーミル殿、真っ赤でござるな!」
「トビは黙ってろ! は、ハインド、おま、お前......っ!」
「補填にスキルポイントの書も使ったし、余り気にするなよ。相談も無しに勝手にやった事だしな。それに、俺自身もランキングで負けたくないと思ったのは確かだから。全部が全部、お前の為って訳でも無いさ」
「そ、そういう事なら......」
「そんなどうでも良い事より、もっと素直に喜んでいいんだぞ。1位確定の上に、17437ダメージだぞ? ん?」
じわじわと一位という事実が染み込んで来たのか、ユーミルの顔がニヤニヤと嬉しそうなものに変わる。
それから俺の腕を掴んで強引に立たせると、諸共に手を上げて元気良くこう叫んだ。
「私達の勝ちだぁー!」
「こんな時まで淡泊だな!?」
「体が痛くてな......大声を出す気になれん」
「り、リィズ殿!? 状況が気に入らないからって、拙者を殴らないで!? やめ、やめてぇ!」
「――! ――!」
イベントの時間はまだ残っていたが、全員一致の意見で今夜はもう戦わないことに決定。
そのまま雑談をしながら日付が変わり、イベントの最終結果は以下のようになった。
1位:ユーミル(騎士) 17437Pt
2位:傭兵アルベルト(重戦士) 9978Pt
[The last day of the event is...here!!!]  (Yumir)
[Yumir you are so noisy, why are you so lively?]  (Hind)
[Hind, what about you? Why are you not energetic? Do you have a stomachache?]  (Yumir)
[Why would I? It might look uncool, but I do wear a chest protector when I go to sleep]  (Hind)
I knitted it and it's warm you know?
Wait, now it's not the time to be talking about that.
It's now Wednesday, 10pm, the last day of the event.
The event does end once Thursday comes, so we have around 2 hours left.
Pushing through the players who were coming back from their last try, we were heading towards the west side of the Homa plains.
[Hind-san. I saw you log in earlier than usual today, but what were you doing?]  (Riizu)
[Oh. Sorting my inventory and depositing my money in the bank. Even though it's inside a game, I can't calm down when I bring unnecessary money on me]  (Hind)
[Is...that so?]  (Riizu)
Riizu seemed to doubt me, but she didn't keep pushing.
Tobi...well, he's making a face that shows he has an idea.
He's someone that is more enthusiastic about collecting information about TB after all, so that's a given.
Placing his arm around my shoulders, he began talking to me in a way both of them couldn't hear him.
[Hind-dono...did you really pick it up? That skill. After we split up yesterday, I was curious and took a look at the skill tree of Shinto priest and...]  (Tobi)
[I did. After using the skill point book I had just enough SP for it. It's just that...because I did that, I have to postpone getting the skills I really wanted]  (Hind)
[Oh...you don't mind? Even if it's fine this time, you might fall behind other players in future fights...]  (Tobi)
[Nothing I can do about that. Don't tell them until everything's over, OK? Once I use it, I won't be able to move after all]  (Hind)
[Hind-dono! ...You are so manly!]  (Tobi)
[You are exaggerating. This a game, you know?]  (Hind)
Seeing both guys laugh, Yumir and Riizu tilted their heads at the same time.
You two...don't go making such a disgusted face just because you synchronized your movements so well.
Don't glare at each other.
Right after, I opened the menu one more time to check the rankings.
1st Place:Mercenary Albert(Heavy warrior) 9978Pts
2nd Place: Yumir (Knight) 8893Pts
3rd Place: Hipopo Master (Heavy warrior) 8354Pts
4th Place: ( D) (Heavy warrior) 8210Pts
5th Place: Panda*The*Great(Heavy warrior) 8122Pts
3rd place has been replaced with someone else, first place has done more damage than yesterday...
This first place person is particularly amazing, isn't he leading with quite a big lead?
...Though, you could also say that it's easy to see with these numbers.
In short, it's fine as long as it surpasses 10.000 damage, right?
[Well then, let's go]  (Hind)
When I gave the command, the three of them nodded.
After that, about 30 minutes passed, it was 10:30 pm.
The [Elder Turtle]  had been struggling violently and finally stopped its high speed spin.
Simultaneously, it also showed that it didn't have much HP left.
[Alright, Yumir!]  (Hind)
[Wait, Hind! This will end just like yesterday, you know!?]  (Yumir)
[It's fine. Trust me]  (Hind)
Yumir was trying to guess what my real intention was, but before long, she nodded.
Well, I didn't tell her anything so it's normal.
[...Got it]  (Yumir)
Once Yumir switched her sword, I immediately started casting my new skill.
Since it was a big spell, a gigantic magic circle appeared under my feet, it started to spin around me while glowing.
Having completed the long chant, I...cast the spell called [Sacrifice]  on Yumir.
When I did so, Yumir's body was clad in a golden light.
[Oh! This golden aura, it's what they call a victory flag, right!? I can feel my spirit raising...it's overflowing...!]  (Yumir)
[D-Don't say stupid things, hurry up! What's with this? My body really hurts! Ugh!!!!]  (Hind)
At a pace that was unlike the DoT from poison or burn, my HP was decreasing.
That's fine, it's what this skill does.
In exchange for sacrificing your own body to god, you wish for divine protection...that kind of skill.
However, I didn't expect this pain that felt like my body was being torn apart!
[H-Hind-san!? Your HP is being shaved off at an alarming pace! I'll heal you no-]  (Riizu)
[Wait Riizu, don't use potions! While I'm using this skill I can't be healed! Ouch! Tobi!]  (Hind)
[Umu! I'll leave it to you!]  (Yumir)
Tobi used shadow weaving and Yumir moved forward.
Thus, the long event's final blow was brought down onto the elder turtle along with her shout.
A thunderous roar, sediment flying in all directions, furthermore, fierce wind pressure was scattered around.
The damage displayed was...[17437] .
The moment I saw that, my HP reached 0 points.
Eh...eh? Was the ground...always this close...?
[Nii-san? Nii-san!? Noooooooo!]  (Riizu)
H-hey...Riizu, this is just a game.
That's why you don't have to make such a tragic scream...
Ah, it's a waste to use a holy water.
I can't be resurrected after all, this...
Eventually, I was unable to hear what was going on in my surroundings and my field of vision turned grey.
My body won't do as I say and I can't put any strength into it.
The temperature of my body felt like I was having a serious fever.
Yumir, who was in high spirits after seeing the damage rushed over to me while being confused...right after seeing her figure, I lost consciousness.
[Scary! So scary! What's with this useless realism!?]  (Hind)
The moment I regained consciousness, I unintentionally shouted.
The NPCs around me froze in surprise when they heard my voice.
Ah, I'm sorry.
This is...Heathrow town?
If I remember correctly, once you die, you'll return to the last town you visited...or at least that's what Tobi...
[With a Shinto priest's...solo...maybe?] 
[...if he doesn't have..., he's an idiot...right?] 
I could heard gossip coming from a male and a female player.
You guys are the stupid ones for observing the respawn point! Idiots!
It's not like I died because I went in solo, damn it...it hurts.
Because of the after effects of the skill, I had something like muscle-pain, I feel terrible.
I'll send a mail to all 3 of them and wait at the usual pub so I started moving.
I withdrew all the money I previously left with the bank's NPC, and went to the pub after repairing my gear.
All that's left of the death penalty is the decrease in stats...but that will take around 20-30 minutes.
There's even time left after I was done buying the stuff I needed making this time quite the nuisance.
Not that it matters tonight.
With that much damage, there's a one in a million chance we'll fall down to 2nd place after all.
[Hind-san!]  (Riizu)
Just when I secured four seats that were vacant, Riizu entered the pub as if she was going to fall over and hugged me.
After that, Tobi entered with an apologetic face and Yumir had her arms folded and I understood that she was angry.
Ah, I don't even have to guess, Tobi told them everything.
...Did...I choose the wrong place...?
[S-Should we go outside first...?]  (Hind)
While suffering from gazes of envy and teasing, I went outside while being hugged by Riizu.
We calmed down while relaxing on a bench located in a flower bed in the outskirts of town.
Eh...I guess I should start with Riizu.
Until when does she plan to cling onto me?
She's been stuck to me all the time and now we are sitting in the bench like this...
[Ah, eh, Riizu...?]  (Hind)
[I hate it...]  (Riizu)
[W-what do you mean?]  (Hind)
While leaning on my chest, she whispered that.
When she suddenly separated her face from it, she held my face with both hands while tears were appearing at the end of her eyes.
You know, your brother is feeling quite embarrassed in this posture...
[Even if I know it's just a game, I hate seeing nii-san die in front of my eyes...! Don't ever use that skill again!]  (Riizu)
[No buts! Nii-san!]  (Riizu)
[... W-Well, it does hurt while I use the skill. Once I come back from the dead it also feels oddly lonely. Yup. Since it's tiresome I won't use it again.]  (Hind)
Maybe she didn't realize she was crying, but when I wiped her tears with my finger, her face turned crimson and she buried herself under her hat.
Then, she finally separated herself from me.
I didn't expect Riizu to have such a big reaction...I do kind of feel bad.
[A-Ah...but, it really does feel lonely, huh!? When you revive!]  (Tobi)
[Y-yeah. You experienced it too, right? That feeling of your life force slowly draining from your body is so scary! It's not something I'd like to experience often!]  (Hind)
Tobi is also trying to be careful about what he talks about.
Sorry, I'll invite you to some juice at school...
When we exchanged awkward smiles, Yumir, who had had her arms folded since a while ago stood in front of me in a daunting manner.
[Hind. You still haven't explained yourself to me, you know?]  (Yumir)
[A-ah...that's right. Y-You see...]  (Hind)
[I heard everything from Tobi. That consumes 10 skill points, a "meme" skill that no one takes. You...do you really think I'd be happy by winning in a way that you have to sacrifice yourself!?]  (Yumir)
[...Well, it's true that I even sacrificed my skill points, but isn't it fine since we have guaranteed us winning the event? Hahahaha!]  (Hind)
[I'm not laughing, you know?]  (Yumir)
[Yeah, I'm sorry]  (Hind)
You would usually only spend 1-2 points on a skill and for strong skills, at most you would spend 3 points.
Since I took this [Sacrifice]  skill, my build was a mess for a level 30 Shinto priest.
The upgrade to [Healing] ...[Healing Plus] , the party healing skill [Area Healing]  etc...
Generally, you can't get back the skill points you have spent, so I foresaw a situation like today's and didn't acquire various useful skills.
Regarding this [Sacrifice]  skill, the buff is tremendous, but on top of being unable to get healed and resurrected, the user will definitely die. It's that kind of "meme" skill.
Having the healer of the party die first and being unable to resurrect him. Getting a death penalty on top of it, a skill with a triple handicap where the Shinto priest doesn't gain anything.
Yumir is extremely angry, so I chose my words very carefully.
[Even then, I wanted to see your delighted face once you received the reward...was it wrong for me to do it?]  (Hind)
[W-Wha...!?]  (Yumir)
Wait, this wasn't the reaction I was expecting...
When I gave Tobi a sidelong glance, he was grinning in an irritating way.
[Uhihihi. Yumir-dono, your face is bright red!]  (Tobi)
[Shut up Tobi! H-Hind, y-you...!]  (Yumir)
[To make up for it, I used the skill point book, so don't worry about it. It's something I did on my own without consulting you first after all. Besides, it's true that I felt that I didn't want to lose in the rankings. It's not like it was just for you]  (Hind)
[W-Well in that case...]  (Yumir)
[Just leave that matter aside, you should just be more honest and be happy! On top of securing 1st place, you dealt 17437 damage, you know!?]  (Hind)
It might be because the fact that she had placed 1st started to sink in, Yumir started grinning and making a delighted face.
After that, she forcefully pulled me by the arm to make me stand up and shouted cheerfully while raising my arm.
[It's our victory!]  (Yumir)
[Are you going to be so indifferent at such a moment!?]  (Yumir)
[My body hurts...I can't bring myself to raise my voice]  (Hind)
[R-Riizu-dono!? Even if you dislike the situation, don't go hitting me! S-Stop!]  (Tobi)
[----! ----!]  (Riizu)
There was still some time left in the event, but we decided to stop fighting for the rest of the night.
While we were engaged in idle talk, the date changed, the event's results were as follows.
1st Place: Yumir (Knight) 17437Pts
2nd Place:Mercenary Albert(Heavy warrior) 9978Pts
VRMMO no Shien Shokunin ～Top Player no Shikakenin～
ＶＲＭＭＯの支援職人　～トッププレイヤーの仕掛人～
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/vrmmo-no-shien-shokunin-%ef%bd%9etop-player-no-shikakenin%ef%bd%9e/
Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy Harem Slice of Life
Adventurers Beautiful Female Lead Blacksmith Brother Complex Calm Protagonist Childhood Friends Clan Building Cooking Crafting Curious Protagonist Dense Protagonist Elemental Magic Fantasy Creatures Game Ranking System Gamers Hard-Working Protagonist Healers Level System Love Interest Falls in Love First Love Rivals Male Protagonist Misunderstandings MMORPG Ninjas Possessive Characters Priests Siblings Siblings Not Related by Blood Sword And Magic Virtual Reality Younger Love Interests Younger Sisters
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4014ds/
二階堂風都