The Runaway Master Sora's Scenic Day: I Became a Legend Just by Not Fighting - Chapter 4

Where's the next scenic view? In a small room at an inn in Central Riviera, Sora spread a crumpled map across her bed. A full day had passed since she returned from the Lamenting Gorge. The trembling in her body had finally subsided, but a lingering fear still clung to some corner of her heart. "I've had more than enough of that gorge..." She never wanted to go back to such a dangerous place. It was full of traps, swarming with monsters, and on top of that, strange people had chased her. Just remembering it made her shoulders tremble slightly. But. When she recalled that rainbow-colored waterfall of light, a gentle warmth spread deep in her chest. As terrifying as the experience had been, that view had been equally beautiful. (*I really can't give this up, can I?*) Sora traced her finger across the map. Today, she'd go somewhere safe. With that decided, she chose a nearby location: Verde Foresta. A woodland area just south of Central Riviera. She'd passed through it a few times before, and there shouldn't be any strong monsters there—supposedly. "Today, I'll just take a nice, relaxing walk." She murmured it as if reassuring herself, then left the inn. The morning in Verde Foresta was wrapped in crisp, cool air. Soft sunlight filtered down in patches through the towering trees. The ground was covered in a thick carpet of fallen leaves, and each step she took produced a pleasant, crisp rustling sound. The air carried the scent of fresh grass mingled with the sweet fragrance of flowers blooming somewhere nearby. "Wow... this feels wonderful." Sora stretched her arms wide. As long as it wasn't a dangerous place, the forest was lovely. She could hear the chirping of small birds. The sound of the wind rustling the leaves approached from afar like waves. Along the path, tiny flowers she'd never seen before were blooming. Their pale purple petals sparkled, wet with morning dew. Sora crouched down and gazed intently at one of the flowers. (*So cute...*) She took a screenshot with a snap. Come to think of it, Luna had sent her a message a while back. *"I hear there's a small, hidden lake deep in Verde Foresta that nobody knows about."* Apparently, it was a secret scenic spot not marked on any map. "...Maybe I'll go take a little look." If it wasn't a dangerous place, it would be fine. Sora stood up and began walking deeper into the forest. But had she walked for about thirty minutes? The atmosphere of the forest suddenly changed. The chirping of the birds she'd been hearing just moments ago stopped abruptly. The wind died down too. The leaves on the trees hung motionless, as if holding their breath. "...Huh?" Sora's feet stopped. Something was wrong. That was when it happened. The fallen leaves at her feet suddenly began to emit a pale, bluish-white light. The light spread rapidly, encircling Sora completely. An intricate pattern rose up from the ground. A magic circle. "Wha—what is this...!?" She tried to run. But her body wouldn't move. As if her feet were glued to the ground, she couldn't take a single step. Her vision was dyed white. —The next moment. Sora's body floated up gently, and then, she was sucked away somewhere. When she came to, Sora was standing in an unfamiliar place. This wasn't the forest she'd been in moments ago. She was surrounded by transparent walls. The walls extended all the way to the ceiling, forming a dome-like shape. The space was about the size of a school gymnasium. The floor was made of smooth, polished stone, and cold air crept up from beneath her feet. "Where... am I...?" Sora murmured in a trembling voice. She tried to open her map. But the system window wouldn't appear. The menu, the logout button—everything was grayed out and unresponsive. Then, red text appeared at the edge of her vision. *'Zero Cage — Escape Condition: Defeat all monsters within.'* The blood drained from Sora's face. "D-Defeat...!?" That was impossible, absolutely impossible. Sora had never fought before. Not even once. She always just ran away. And yet, she couldn't leave unless she defeated the monsters. That was when it happened. *Rumble, rumble, rumble...* A low, earth-shaking roar echoed. The center of the floor began to bulge upward. The stone cracked, and flames erupted from within. And what emerged were—three giant beetle-like monsters. Volcano Beetles. Each was nearly two meters long. Their tough, beetle-like carapaces burned bright red. From the gaps in the shells on their backs, a molten, lava-like liquid dripped and oozed. Every time their six legs struck the floor, tiny sparks scattered into the air. "GISHAAAAAA!!" One of them turned its head toward Sora. Its compound eyes glinted sharply. "Ee—eeeek!!" Sora screamed and leaped back from the spot. It was almost pure reflex. Her body moved before she could think. The Volcano Beetle's sharp horn gouged into the place where she'd been standing just a moment before. If she'd been even a second slower, she would have been skewered. But it wasn't just one she had to avoid. Another one charged at her from the side. "Eep!!" Sora rolled across the floor as if tumbling. The burning horn grazed just above her head. The tips of her hair were slightly singed. The third one opened its mouth wide. Deep in its throat, an orange light swirled. —*This is bad.* Sora's instincts screamed a warning. An instant later, flames erupted from its mouth. The blast was too wide to dodge. A sweeping wave of fire that seemed to lick across half the room. "N-No, no, no, no!!" Sora cried out as she ran toward the wall. The flames closed in on her back. It was hot. A searing heat that felt like her skin was burning. But— Sora's feet were faster than the flames. Just before reaching the wall, Sora jumped. She kicked off the wall and twisted her body in midair. The flames passed beneath her feet. The floor was scorched black. She landed. She was out of breath. Her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her mouth. "Haa, haa... W-Why... is this happening...!" Tears blurred her vision. The three Volcano Beetles were slowly closing in. There was nowhere left to run. She was cornered at the edge of the room, her back against the hard wall. (*It's... no use.*) Words of resignation surfaced in Sora's mind. —But. At that moment, her hand unconsciously searched the pouch at her waist. Her fingers touched something cold. (*...What's this?*) She pulled it out. It was a small dagger. A beginner's dagger she'd received way back during the tutorial and had never used, not even once. Back then, Luna had said to her: *"Sora, big sister, please at least keep this with you."* Thinking it was just for self-defense, she'd done as she was told and kept it in her pouch. Sora gripped the dagger with trembling hands. The blade wobbled unsteadily. Sweat beaded on her palms, threatening to make it slip. "I-I... can't fight...! It's impossible...!" But if she gave up here, she would die. Even if it was inside a game, she didn't want to feel pain. She didn't want to be scared. But if she did nothing, these monsters would burn her, chew her up, and crush her into a pulp. (*I don't want that... I don't want it, I don't want it, I don't want it!*) One of the Volcano Beetles opened its mouth wide. Flames were unleashed. In that instant— Sora squeezed her eyes shut. And then, recklessly, she swung the dagger wildly. "Fine, I don't care anymore—!!" It was completely random. She didn't know how to hold a sword, how to swing it—she knew nothing. She was just scared, so scared, flailing her arms while crying. She couldn't see anything because her eyes were closed. But if she didn't swing, she would die. That alone kept Sora moving. —*Shunk.* She felt a response. The dagger stabbed into the chest area of the first Volcano Beetle. It pierced through the hard carapace, and the blade struck something. The core. A red, glowing stone located in the monster's heart. With a sharp crack, the core shattered. "Gisha...!?" The first one collapsed with a death cry. But Sora didn't notice. Her eyes were still closed, so she had no idea what she'd just done. She just kept swinging her arm. The dagger traced an arc. Its trajectory, by pure coincidence, grazed the neck area of the remaining two. —*Shing.* Both heads flew off simultaneously. Their carapaces cracked, exposing the cores within. The tip of the dagger grazed those cores. *Crack. Crack.* The two cores shattered at the same time. "Gi... sha..." The second and third Volcano Beetles slowly toppled over. When their massive bodies hit the floor, a heavy *thud* echoed. Silence fell. Sora still had her eyes squeezed shut. She'd stopped flailing her arms out of sheer exhaustion. Breathing heavily, her shoulders heaving, she stood there frozen for a while. (*...Huh?*) Terrified, she timidly opened her eyes. What met her gaze were the corpses of the three Volcano Beetles. None of them were moving. "...Huh?" Sora blinked rapidly. She looked at the dagger. A tiny amount of red liquid clung to the tip of the blade. Probably the monsters' bodily fluids. "Huh? Huh? Huh?" She couldn't process the situation. She... defeated them? All three of them? But all Sora could remember was just crying and screaming while swinging her arms around randomly. Other than that, she'd been scared, frustrated, and had just felt like she didn't care what happened anymore. "I-It was a fluke. Definitely a fluke...!" Sora said it in a trembling voice. That was when it happened. The transparent walls that had surrounded the room vanished without a sound. At the same time, color returned to the grayed-out system menu. *'Zero Cage — Cleared'* A reward window popped up. One 'Rare Material Box' was added to her inventory. But Sora didn't have the composure to check it. "Th-That was terrifying...!!" She collapsed to the ground on the spot. Her legs were shaking so badly she couldn't stand. Her hands were trembling too. She dropped the dagger, and it clattered to the floor. Tears spilled down her cheeks, unstoppable. "I've had enough... Why... this... *sniffle*..." Sora sobbed like a child. There were no players passing by. Deep in the forest, unseen by anyone, Sora sat on the ground and cried for a while. But, unbeknownst to Sora— She still didn't know that the log of this battle had been secretly recorded by someone's hand. Only a few hours remained until fragments of the combat data would be posted to Cross World Online's social media platform, "NextFeed," from an anonymous account. Evasion Skill: 1,247. Movement Speed: 1,083. And, attached to that single strike, a "???" attribute that no one had ever seen before. That this data would turn the world upside down— Sora still knew nothing of it. She just sobbed, sniffling, and murmured in a trembling voice. "Th-The next scenic view... I'll pick somewhere safer... definitely..." But her feet were already pointed toward her next destination. Toward the Starfall's End—a scenic view no one had ever seen, said to lie at the very edge of the world.

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Episode 4

Name: The Runaway Master Sora's Scenic Day: I Became a Legend Just by Not Fighting
Author: Novelia

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