Chapter 5 : The First Disaster

Each disaster in Weapon of Infinity had its own theme.

Akedia governed sloth.

Was it a lazy bastard?

Yes.

It was also a bastard that devoured sloth.

“How bothersome. So bothersome.”

The disaster stretched lazily.

The bandit leader it had parasitized had lost most of the appearance he had in life.

His skin, robbed of its elasticity, cracked open, and black energy flowed from the fissures, wrapping around his body.

That energy gathered together and wove itself into the shape of a person.

The disaster pointed at me with pitch-black fingertips.

“You move. Then work for me until you die.”

A sinister voice echoed over the thick darkness.

One eye, not yet swallowed by the smoke, curved slowly.

It was a smile that sent chills racing across my skin.

But rather than fear, what I felt was simple disgust.

This feels like it’s taking a shot at me somehow.

It felt like it had seen through the way I had lived.

Work until I died?

I would pass on experiencing that a second time.

“Ritark, be careful! I feel an unusual energy coming from the ground!”

The salamander turtle sitting on my shoulder shouted.

At the same time, Phase One began.

Sssrrrk…

An eerie energy rose up and wrapped around my ankles.

It seemed the disaster’s domain effect had been applied.

Those who entered a boss area would be affected by a field effect that interfered with combat.

If this were the game, I would have been able to check exactly what effect had been applied, but with no way to open a status window right now, that was impossible.

Of course, that did not mean I did not know.

Tap, tap!

I charged straight toward the disaster.

Even while carrying the greatsword, my movements were more than twice as fast as usual.

The scenery around me swept past at a dizzying speed.

There’s a reason I dragged this greatsword all the way here while chugging those sticks.

The eight disasters targeting this world each wielded the power of the sin they symbolized.

The first disaster I was facing now was sloth.

Without its permission, no one could be lazier than it.

No one could move more slowly, nor could they stop and leisurely take their time.

“Do not be slothful.”

The extreme increase in agility was the first status abnormality of the domain, Diligence.

It let you move quickly, so wasn’t that good?

In WoIn, sudden changes in speed were a combat-disrupting element.

Because they completely ruined the feel of the controls the player had become accustomed to through the tutorial.

Of course, I was different.

Whoosh.

I took only two steps toward Akedia and swung the greatsword as I did.

The greatsword shot out at a speed far faster than when I had been dealing with the bandits.

Slash!

For a disaster that governed sloth, Akedia retreated pretty quickly, but there was a heavy sensation at the tip of my blade.

Its mouth opened wide, and black blood sprayed into the air.

“That’s it!”

Wer shouted in excitement.

The disaster, on the other hand, was already letting out a pained groan.

“How can you move like that…”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Normally, the player would be unable to control the character’s movements properly, panic, and meet their first death in the game.

Because if they pressed the directional key even slightly, they would see their character move all the way to the edge of the screen.

The way to break through it was simple.

Just minimize movement.

And if you equipped the greatsword, the slowest attack-speed weapon available to the player?

Slash! Slash!

Each time I swung the sword, the disaster’s blood splattered one after another.

The creature shouted in shock.

“I ordered you to work for me!”

It was the line that signaled the end of Phase One.

The timing came faster than I expected.

Looks like I cut down quite a bit of its health.

I could not check its HP bar, but I could roughly guess.

The greatsword was slow, and in exchange, its attack power was higher than other weapons of the same grade.

So I must have cut the boss’s health by half in an instant.

Sssrrr…

Even thicker smoke poured out from its body.

Right after that, the grass on the ground turned completely black.

There it is!

I quickly grabbed a handful of grass from the ground and used Appraisal.

“Grass Consumed by Diligence. Grass affected by the status abnormality Diligence. It can be used as an item crafting material.”

If I made medicine with this grass, I would be able to partially grant the Diligence effect, an extreme increase in agility.

If I combined it with the legs of a cave bug, which had great speed, I should be able to make the second phase of the disaster much easier to deal with.

Because the next phase would apply a speed reduction debuff, the complete opposite of the first phase.

“Medicine Crafting! The ingredients are one root of Grass Consumed by Diligence and three Cave Bug Legs!”

Streams of light burst from the selected ingredients.

Shrrrrrk!

At the same time the medicine was made, black energy surged fiercely up from underground.

“Urgh…”

“Ritark! Why have you suddenly stopped?”

It felt as if my feet were glued to the ground.

The domain effect of Phase Two seemed to have been applied.

An extreme agility decrease, the Sloth effect, spread through my entire body like an epidemic.

“Become slothful. I shall take you as my nourishment.”

The disaster opened its arms as if showing generosity.

Perhaps it had regained its composure, because the corners of its mouth rose high.

Laugh all you want while you still can. It’s your last chance.

My preparations were complete.

Because the medicine I made with the skill was in my hand.

No, wait, what am I supposed to do if using items is slower too?

Even moving my gaze was slow.

My eyes finally managed to reach my hand.

The stick I held looked similar to a Strength-Boosting Stick.

The difference was the color.

Unlike the Strength-Boosting Stick, this one was dark and murky.

I had no time to appraise it.

If I eat it, it should raise my Agility stat…

But my stat would only go up if I put it in my mouth.

As someone from a people who lived with “hurry, hurry” on their lips, it was enough to drive me insane.

“Now. Be good and become my food.”

The disaster, approaching slowly, was suddenly right in front of me.

Black smoke pressed heavily down over the surroundings.

Claaang!

The red shield pushed the black energy away.

The Sloth effect weighing down my body was also pushed back for a moment.

I did not miss that opening.

Riiip.

I tore the stick apart with my teeth.

The instant the Agility stat increase took effect, my body became light.

I raised the greatsword high again.

“How…”

The disaster’s eyes slowly widened.

It must have meant, how was I not affected by its influence?

Was there any reason to answer?

I charged toward it.

Rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle!

Every time I stepped on the ground, black energy rose up.

Black, dried leaves crumbled along my footprints.

My run grew faster and faster.

“Haaah!”

I leapt lightly into the air.

The disaster looked up at me.

I brought the greatsword down right through the center of its face.

There was no need for exceptional swordsmanship.

The sluggish disaster of sloth would not be able to dodge this strike.

Shwaak!

With the greatsword, I split the pitch-black form apart.

The smoke that had formed a human shape scattered, revealing the bandit leader’s body, cut by the sword.

“Th… is…”

Was it too lazy even to fall?

The disaster of sloth moved its mouth slowly.

But its words did not continue.

Thud.

The form split in two slowly collapsed.

And the disaster’s domain disappeared.

Just as it had suddenly unfolded, it vanished in an instant.

The form of the first disaster, Akedia, also disappeared without a trace.

“D-did you defeat it?”

Wer, who had been clinging tightly to my back, said something ominous.

Did he not know that saying a line like that could bring even a dying bastard back to life?

Of course, the first disaster did not revive.

In the place where it had fallen, only a black gemstone remained.

A gemstone containing Akedia’s power.

The moment I reached for the drop item, a welcome voice rang out.

“Strength stat has increased by 3! Agility stat has increased by 1!”

This time, two stats had increased at once.

The increase in Strength was fairly large, too.

Was it because I defeated a boss?

That was good.

The body of Ritark I had possessed was so frail it could not even carry a single greatsword.

Thud!

It seemed the effect of the Strength-Boosting Stick had just ended.

The tip of the greatsword I was holding fell to the ground.

Still, I can drag it around now, can’t I?

When I had left the village, the greatsword would not budge no matter how hard I tried.

But now, even if it dragged along the ground, I could hold it.

Once my Strength stat went up a little more, I should be able to swing the greatsword even without medicine.

“Ritark! No matter how pleased you are, why not pick up that jewel before grinning to yourself?”

The reptile’s palm patted my cheek.

I was not grinning.

Grumbling inwardly, I picked up the jewel.

“Appraisal.”

“Jewel of Sloth. It can affect the Agility stat. It cannot be discarded or destroyed.”

No matter how I thought about it, this was a convenient skill.

Because I could be certain whether it was the item I knew.

“Appraisal skill has increased by 1 level!”

With perfect timing, Appraisal leveled up as well.

With that, both of my skills had become Level 2.

It had been a pretty profitable battle.

Getting stronger is only a matter of time.

If I carried the greatsword all the way back to the village without a Strength-Boosting Stick, would my stats increase again?

Even if not, it would count as exercise.

“Lord Wer.”

“What is it?”

“Hold onto this jewel for me.”

Wer sprang up in alarm.

“That is not the kind of item you hand over carelessly!”

Transferring it was possible.

It was not the same as discarding or destroying it.

Though calling it a transfer when I was putting it into a helper character’s storage was a bit misleading.

“I’m not handing it over. I’m asking you to hold it.”

“Entrusting an important item to just anyone is what people call handing it over carelessly!”

“Didn’t you say you would help me, Lord Wer?”

The game’s story was full of betrayal and schemes.

But the helper character was always on the player’s side.

He was a character I had no need to doubt.

And when it came to item storage, Wer’s inventory, an extradimensional space, was the safest option.

“I’ll trust you, Lord Wer, so why don’t you try trusting me too?”

I tapped his little head with my index finger, then shoved the jewel onto him.

“Let’s head back to the village soon.”

I adjusted my grip on the dragging greatsword.

Still, I could not get any real speed into my steps.

I decided to go down the mountain while gathering materials while I was at it.

I had used up almost all the ingredients I had.

It would be better to gather them in advance.

After dying and opening my eyes again, I really had not stopped moving for a single moment.

I went to the cave to get Wer, only to discover a half-dead John Doe.

Then, while I was beating up bandits, the Seed of Disaster suddenly germinated.

Well, one way or another.

I had gotten through the first disaster.

After finishing a major incident and collecting herbs needed for medicine, my heart felt surprisingly peaceful.

Is this why people play healing games?

Of course, my gathering was pretty far removed from healing.

It was groundwork for making the medicine I would need from now on.

If I was going to clear the story myself, I would have to prepare that thoroughly.

Even so, plucking leaves made my heart feel calm.

Compared to battle, of course it was leisurely.

By the time I arrived at the healing shop, my pouches and bags were close to bursting.

Jingle!

The smell of blood that had been vibrating through the shop was completely gone.

Did someone air it out?

I looked toward the direction the wind was coming from.

At that moment, my eyes met perfectly with the person standing by the window.

“Ritark.”

“Uh, yeah. Is your body all right?”

“Thanks to you. How much medicine did you use?”

His gaze slowly dropped downward.

To his weapon, the greatsword.

I did say I was borrowing it.

He did not seem about to scold me, but I still felt awkward.

I quietly leaned the greatsword against the wall.

“…Around five or six recovery potions, I think.”

John Doe closed the window.

“If you give me time, I’ll pay you back.”

“You don’t have to.”

Playable characters usually did not have much money in the early game.

On top of that, I had even obtained the first boss reward.

“You can’t be in great condition. Why don’t you rest?”

“No.”

He strode past me and shouldered the greatsword.

Jingle!

The shop door opened.

He was just leaving like this?

“Wait.”

John Doe half-turned back.

“…Where are you going?”

Even as I asked, I was certain of John Doe’s destination.

To begin with, the reason John Doe had stopped by Root Village was to have the Seed of Disaster appraised.

At the point the game began, John Doe had already been in the middle of carrying out some kind of request.

The place he would head to complete that request was obvious.

“The City of Traders.”

If you crossed the Root Mountain Range and followed the well-maintained road, a city would appear.

A place where, just as its name suggested, money and trade ruled everything.

Near the City of Traders, markets opened constantly, and a massive auction was held every quarter.

The real story would begin in that city.

I’ll have to go too.

The City of Traders had many materials that could not be obtained in Root Village.

Not only medicinal herbs that grew only near the city, but also materials that had to be acquired through auctions or gambling.

The materials I would obtain there would help again and again on the journey ahead.

I can’t rush in like I did this time.

Akedia, the first disaster, had a simple strategy befitting an early boss.

It was a monster from the section where the player learned the controls, was it not?

It was the “this one” in “If you can’t beat this one, just refund the game.”

From the next one onward, I need to prepare properly.

The second disaster that would germinate in the City of Traders was not easy.

[End of Chapter]