One Day to Run: Hunted Pepper, Gather Ore and Pelts
"…Today was just way too much…"
"No kiddin', Pepper-han. You look beat. Get some rest, yeah?" Aitoil said, her voice warm with concern.
Guided to a cozy lounge in the Rabbit Palace, Pepper collapsed onto a bed, letting his tired body sink into the soft mattress. After updating his respawn point, he saved his progress and prepared to log out.
"Aitoil, tomorrow's a free day—no work,,No classes. I can play Shangri-La Frontier all day, so we're going full throttle. About that 'item' we talked about… can you have it ready?"
"Leave it to me," Aitoil replied with a confident nod. "I'll have it prepped and waitin'. You just recharge your batteries, Pepper-han."
With a free day ahead, Pepper could make serious headway on the unique quest. But with his name spreading like wildfire, lingering in Secondil was too risky. Hiding out in Rabbits was a last resort for when things went south. For now, he had to finish the quest as fast as possible.
The chaos of the unique quest, the looming reunion with his nemesis, and the relentless chain of unique events—it had been a whirlwind of a day. Exhausted, Pepper logged out of Shangri-La Frontier and returned to reality.
"Phew… I'm wiped…"
As the night deepened outside, Azusa removed his VR gear and sprawled out on his bed, limbs splayed like a starfish. In his mind's eye, the smug grin of Arthur Pencilgon—aka Amane Takanotsume—loomed large.
"Ugh, why's that jerk's face popping up now? My brain's fried, and I'm way too tired to cook dinner…"
It had been a day packed with way too much. Tomorrow would undoubtedly shape his future in Shangri-La Frontier. Screw it up, and his peaceful gaming life would crumble, leaving him hunted by players and clans chasing his secrets.
"I'll grab some food nearby, sleep early, and dive into Shangri-La Frontier at the crack of dawn. Not many people play that early, right?"
Groaning, Azusa rolled off the bed, unplugged his smartphone from its charger, and grabbed his wallet and keys before heading out of his apartment. Despite the spring season, the night air carried a lingering chill that made him shiver.
"Brr, it's cold for spring… Maybe something warm to eat?"
In less than a week since starting Shangri-La Frontier, Azusa, a total newbie, had stumbled into a unique quest and reaped its rewards.
"…Gotta eat quick and sleep. Tomorrow's the big day…"
He trudged through the darkening streets, the weight of the coming battle heavy on his mind.
And so, the day of reckoning approached.
The Next Day, 4:00 AM
Beep-beep-beep… Beep-beep-beep…
The alarm blared, and Azusa stirred, fumbling in the dark to silence it.
"Ngh… morning already?"
Stretching like a cat, he pulled back the curtains. The sky was still dark, but a faint glow hinted at dawn in the west.
"…Alright. It's go time."
Slapping his cheeks to psych himself up, Azusa sprang into action. A quick shower washed away sleep and grime, followed by a breakfast of toast, bacon, eggs, and a green smoothie. After a bathroom break, he checked his VR gear, reviewed his to-do list, remade his bed, changed into pajamas, and slid back under the covers.
"Today's the day… It's gonna decide my fate!"
The game booted up, and Azusa, now Pepper, was whisked back into Shangri-La Frontier, materializing on the bed in the Rabbit Palace—his new respawn point.
His long, long day had begun.
"Yo, Pepper-han! Sleep well?"
Pepper's eyes fluttered open to find Aitoil perched on his chest, peering down with a playful grin, a sake cup in her paw.
"Morning, Aitoil," Pepper said, sitting up. "Let's get to it. Did you prepare that item I asked for?"
"Who do ya think I am?" Aitoil smirked. "It's all set, right here!"
She gestured to a massive sake barrel. Pepper quickly checked its stats.
Wind-Calling Sake (Swamp Frog)
A cloudy sake brewed from Mad Frog extract. Its recipe is a closely guarded secret.
When consumed, the drinker's breath lures Mad Frogs, drawing their kin to the area.
"So, you drink this, and your breath attracts Mad Frogs, creating a pseudo-swarm?" Pepper said, impressed. "That's incredible, Aitoil."
"Fufun, ain't it just?" Aitoil puffed out her chest. "And with 200 of 'em to hunt, we're talkin' serious volume. As your trusty guide, I'm goin' all-in to help ya, Pepper-han!"
Ping! A notification chimed:
NPC 'Wanderer Aitoil' has sent a party invite. Accept?
[YES] or [NO]
"Count me in, Aitoil," Pepper said, clicking [YES].
Aitoil officially joined his party. Time was tight—every second would count from here on out.
"So, Pepper-han, we headin' straight to the Quad-Eight Swamp?"
"Yeah, but first, Aitoil, I need you to stay hidden in my cloak while we move. Can you do that?"
With multiple unique-related bombs ticking, letting Aitoil be spotted would spark a frenzy. Given the Lycaon situation, if word got out about his connection to her, sharp players—like Arthur Pencilgon—might sniff out the unique scenario and come knocking.
"Got it, I'll keep a low profile," Aitoil said, slipping into his cloak. "Lead the way, Pepper-han."
In the Rabbit Palace, Aitoil conjured a door on the wall, vanishing into Pepper's cloak as their quest to conquer the unique scenario officially began.
In a deserted alley in Secondil, a door materialized out of nowhere, creaking open softly.
"We made it back… Not trapped, thank god," Pepper sighed in relief.
"Thought I kidnapped ya, Pepper-han?" Aitoil teased from within the cloak.
"Nah, just… had a bad experience once. Got stuck in a room due to a game bug. Scary stuff."
"No clue what you're on about, but sounds like it wasn't fun," Aitoil replied, her tone sympathetic.
Peeking out from the alley, Pepper scanned the street. As expected for early morning, NPC and player traffic was sparse, letting them slip toward the city gates without issue. From there, they headed to the Quad-Eight Swamp, confirmed no one was around, and launched their plan.
"You good, Aitoil?" Pepper asked.
"All good, all good!" Aitoil chirped. "This sake's tasty, and I'm feelin' fine. You okay with the smell, Pepper-han?"
"Thanks for the concern, I'm fine," he replied with a grin.
Aitoil chugged the sake barrel in one go, savoring the flavor before swallowing hard. A pinkish mist began to drift from her mouth, spreading into the air.
"Right, now we wait for the effect to kick in," Aitoil said, her voice slurring slightly. "Got any plans in the meantime, Pepper-han…?"
Whether it was the sake or her big-sister vibe, Aitoil's tone turned sultry, her eyes melting into a dreamy gaze.
"Uh, yeah!" Pepper stammered, dodging the vibe shift. "I'm gonna reinforce my Lock-On Breaker and pick up a weapon the Secondil blacksmith's crafting. Let's use the wait time to mine!"
Teetering on the edge of a weird conversation, Pepper pulled out his Lock-On Breaker and moved to a mining point in the swamp, away from the sake's mist.
"This spot looks good. Aitoil, stay in the cloak."
"Mmm… as you wish…" she purred, still tipsy.
To keep her from wandering off in her drunken state, Pepper kept her close and began mining. His Explorer heritage, slightly boosted luck, enhanced strength and stamina from the Lycaon fight, and the unique weapon's abilities synergized perfectly.
"Gray Steel… Gray Steel… Rock… Rock… Swamp Fossil… Rock… Gray Steel! Next! Swamp Fossil… Gray… Yes! Silver Steel! …Rock… Rock… Rock… Gray… Iron Ore… Swamp Fossil… Next! Rock, Rock, Swamp Fossil! Smashing rocks like crazy… SILVER!"
In about 40 minutes, Pepper exhausted the nearby mining points, hauling in 14 Gray Steel, 7 Iron Ore, 8 Swamp Fossils, 4 Silver Steel, and a rare Swamp Bounty Rock. It was a massive haul.
"Alright… time to check the sake's effect!"
"Fufun, my sake's guaranteed to work…" Aitoil slurred, still tipsy.
Adrenaline pumping from the mining spree, Pepper led the way to the mist's source. Peering from behind a rock, they were met with a jaw-dropping sight—
Hundreds of blocky, geological-looking Mad Frogs swarmed the swamp, croaking loudly in a chaotic chorus.
"This is straight-up hell for frog haters," Pepper muttered.
"A parade of frogs… singing their swampy symphony… lured by the scent…" Aitoil mused poetically. "So, Pepper-han, you huntin' all these Mad Frogs?"
"Nah," Pepper replied, clapping his hands in a gesture of respect. "I'll grab what I need and let the rest go. Weapon durability's a concern, and wiping them out could screw over other players. Plus, they're not hostile to players, right?"
Moved by Aitoil's poetic flair and mindful of the ecosystem, Pepper drew his Vorpal Small Hammer and dove into the frog swarm. The frogs, reacting to the Lycaon's Marking, scattered in a panic, but Pepper landed precise blows to their heads, felling them in one hit to minimize suffering.
Mad Frogs were resistant to slashing but weak to blunt damage. After downing about 100, the Vorpal Small Hammer's durability neared its limit, so Pepper switched to the Lock-On Breaker and kept hunting.
When the sake's effect finally wore off, Pepper had collected 200 Mad Frog pelts, and the hunt was over.
As a side note, Pepper used one Swamp Fossil to restore the Lock-On Breaker's durability. During the hunt, he also scored several Mad Frog Tongues, a rare drop. According to Aitoil, "They're like chicken gizzards—quite the delicacy. Even the Okashira uses 'em as sake snacks sometimes…"
Seize Both Ore and Pelts