CH 187

Data.177 – Old Bowman, War Council for Dealing with Old Men

How did I know they were actually old grandfathers when this was just a game?

Because they were making it loud and clear…!

This was a group of old men who were bored and befriended each other online. And they formed this team in order to enjoy the game together.

Apparently, they were quite active and even making a profit. So they could be categorized as a pro gamer team.

In general, the best pro gamers tended to be young.

I even heard that with some famous teams, you are required to retire once you pass a certain age.

But it was the opposite with the G’z.

You couldn’t get in unless you were old enough…!

Of course, I wasn’t even near the required age. In fact, I doubt I’ve even met any other players that were as old as them.

In a way, the next battle would be a battle with the unknown…!

“The key to victory is doing enough research. So let’s watch their last battle.”

Satomi opened up a window and went to the battle archive page.

This was a feature that only participants could access, and it allowed you to rewatch battles after they were finished.

And so players watching on the monitors in the first town, or on their computers or phones could not rewatch the battles at this point.

“They won their battle 2 to 0. So it was actually a close call. And so they showed a lot of their abilities. As for the party composition, there are three physical type advance guards, one magic type rear guard, and a dog type Unison called Koromaro. And this Koromaro is also a strong advance guard.”

…Why so many advance guards?

That was 4 to 1.

While our party wasn’t the most conventional either, we still had two advance guards, two rear guards, and Garbow, who was an all-rounder type.

Were they each so strong individually that it didn’t matter if they weren’t balanced…?

“By the way, they are still a relatively new team, so it’s possible that they don’t fully understand party balance. Well, in NSO, balance doesn’t always make your party better.”

“Th-that’s true…”

While they may not be veterans, they had still won the first battle…!

I was an amateur to VRMMOs at first, but was doing pretty well. So it could be the same for them.

“Now let’s look at the members individually. First, there is the leader, Jiji.”

They chose names like I did…!

Clearly the ‘ji’ was from ojisan.

I suppose I had been right to think like that…!

“He is the only rear guard and magic user. But is an attacker and not a healer. The long, white beard and tall pointed hat might make him look like a great wizard, but this is someone who plays it safe. A lot of the time, he would run away from an enemy and attack them from far away.”

Even his fighting style was similar to mine…!

Yes, it was hard being in the advance guard once you got older…

Well, recently, I’ve been fighting in close quarters, as it was necessary…

“Next is the advance guard, Yushia. I’m not sure why it wasn’t simply Yusha(hero).”

Was it a reference to really retro games, or a typo…

“His weapon is the classical sword and shield. And his movements definitely feel a little more youthful compared to the others in the group. However, it seems that he has grown in a magic warrior kind of direction, and so he doesn’t seem to deal much magic or physical damage. And his defense isn’t really impressive either. He has no defining features…”

If there was one job after hero that I wanted to be, it was magic warrior…!

So I understood how he felt! It sounded so cool!

But it was also true that in games, they tended to be a jack of all trades and master of none…

Tsk… You were adventuring in a world of swords and magic. So why should you have to choose just one…!

Not that I didn’t quickly abandon the sword and choose a bow!

“The third is Shishou. His weapon is a katana, and he wears a haori hakama. He looks like an old samurai who is hiding, but still more than capable.”

I was also wearing Japanese style clothes, so I felt a connection there.

And even his face had the look of an old, seasoned warrior.

He looked strong…!

“As for him, he was killed without really doing anything, so we don’t have any data. But from what I saw…the way he held and swung his sword looked pretty clumsy.”

Oh, well…!

He was probably not used to swords, let alone games!

It wasn’t easy for the modern person to get used to both those things…!

When I first picked up a bow…it actually went pretty well. But that was the exception.

“Lastly, we have Koharu. It sounds like a woman’s name, but as you can see, this is a ronin-style man with a beard. He uses a odachi that is longer than he is tall.”

While it was a different kind, this guy was also similar to a samurai…!

But this katana looked so rough and cool.

“There were a couple of times when he stumbled around like some kind of drunk. Turns out he wasn’t playing a character, but it was due to the weight of the sword. Obviously, if he can barely walk with it, then he won’t be able to swing it either. However, he does have a charge attack that aids with his movements, and he is suddenly able to swing it around quickly. You’ll need to be careful when this change occurs.”

In a way, that change seemed to be very fitting for the character…

One moment he is stumbling around, and then he suddenly cuts at you like a master swordsman.

This Koharu was the most dangerous member of the G’z.

“Last is the Unison, Koromaro. It looks like a normal shiba dog, but its power is incredible. It can break the ground with its paws, and kill players with a pounce. In fact, it killed three players in the first fight.”

Is-is that so…!

I had been watching the fight in real time, and still had trouble remembering much about the individual players. So this was the reason!

Koromaro had done most of the work during the first fight…!

“But Koromaro is not very bright. And that is even more dangerous. While Gochu and Garbow will protect players that are in danger, Koromaro does not care. It will continue attacking and killing enemies even if a player is about to be killed. In spite of its adorable appearance, it will chase its prey until it catches it. The other party was destroyed because they didn’t understand how it moved.”

The idea of an old man helping a dog sounded like the beginning of a heart-warming story, but this was more like a monster B-movie.

I had been feeling a mixture of relief over winning the last battle, and anxiety over the upcoming one. But I feel refreshed now.

“Looking at them like this, it seems that Koromaro is the only threat. But there is still a lot we don’t know about the other players. And so we must not let our guard down while fighting them. But looking at them as a whole, they should be weaker than Mad Slime CORE. So we should be able to win if we keep calm and do our best!”

After the battle with Core, there was something more child-like about Satomi compared to before.

But I agreed with what he said. It was hard to believe that these old grandfathers were stronger than Core and the others.

However, people had a way of surprising you…

Just like I had surprised many strong enemies, these old men could also grow, and they held many possibilities within.

My mind was filled with different scenarios and countermeasures.

I would not underestimate them. And we would win.

If I was fighting older men, then my youth could be a weapon…!