We decided to take some time to finalize our preparations before setting out. To start, we went back to Sorya’s store on the sages’ island and used all the funds we’d amassed to buy the ultimate equipment for everyone except our two heroes. Laika’s new sword made a huge difference, and her attack stat shot up dramatically.
We also spared a moment to fly all across the overworld on Momma Yufufu’s dragon form, visiting all the places we hadn’t been to yet.
“Ah! Do you see that ring of mountains surrounding a suspiciously unnaturally placed forest? Please land by it,” said Wynona. She was pretty sharp-eyed and had apparently spotted something.
“’Tis but a perfectly ordinary forest, as far as I can see,” said Beelzebub.
“A featureless forest in an unnaturally isolated location is suspicious in and of itself. There must be something there!” Wynona countered.
We touched down at her insistence and quickly found she was right: There really was something there. The moment we entered the forest, we found ourselves in a wooded area with a little hut smack-dab in its center.
“This has gotta be a hidden area, right? I had no idea,” I said.
We stepped into the hut where we found a sprite that looked an awful lot like Wizly.
“Oh my, oh my! So you’ve found me,” Wizly said as we entered her abode.
Oh, that makes sense. The real Wizly uses magic to hide her workshop in a secluded region, too, after all.
“Welcome to my secret hermitage,” Wizly continued. “You’ll be glad to hear I have wonderful news for you! Deep within these woods dwells a spirit who possesses the hero’s ultimate equipment!”
Never thought my ultimate gear would be hidden in some random forest! This is a stroke of luck, though. I’ll feel better going into the endgame with my ultimate gear on my side.
I had, however, forgotten a crucial detail.
“Oh, good,” said Wynona. “That means I’ll have equipment befitting my position as the hero.”
Ah. Right. We’re a two-hero party…
Wynona seemed to pick up on that little issue just a moment after I did and glanced over at me. “Oh… Well, seeing as I’m the one who discovered this place, I’ll be taking the ultimate equipment for myself. I’m sure you understand,” she said.
“All right, all right,” I sighed. “This is all thanks to you, so you have first dibs on the gear.”
It’s not like we’ll get anywhere by fighting over it. Better to give up now and let her have her way.
“Oh, also, the hero’s ultimate equipment consists of a sword and armor that come as a set! Be sure to equip both,” Wizly added.
“Understood, O wise hermit. I’ll be sure to do that!”
Wynona getting an upgrade would mean our party’s overall power level would rise, so I decided to view this as a net positive.
We set out at once, making for the center of the forest where the spirit was said to live. Eventually, we arrived at a clearing that was home to a strangely large slime, roughly the size of a Mongolian yurt.
Oh, that must be the Great Slime.
The Great Slime was a slime spirit formed from the thoughts of slimes all over the world. It had also been Falfa and Shalsha’s caretaker, back before we’d met.
“You’ve done well to reach me, heroes. I am the Great Slime, a being made up of the wills of good slimes everywhere,” said the Great Slime. “I shall now grant you the ultimate arms and armor that will enable you to strike down the demon king and the elder god: the 100% Slime Armor and the 100% Slime Sword.”
“Those are both extremely outlandish names, but I would be happy to receive them!” Wynona enthusiastically replied. Who wouldn’t be excited about receiving their ultimate gear, really?
“Well then, I’ll make use of them right away! I won’t be needing my old weapon or armor anymore!”
Wynona equipped her ultimate gear, which turned out to be a sword and suit of armor made from what looked like solidified water. Needless to say, a suit of armor made of solid water had one very distinctive trait: It was completely see-through.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Eeeeeek! What in the world is this gear?! My undergarments are completely exposed! This is terrible!”
✦ ✦ ✦
“The 100% Slime Armor was made from the spirits of slimes with pure, untainted hearts. Its exceptional translucence is a sign of the quality of its materials,” said the Great Slime.
“Well, then you can keep it! I’ll use my old gear!” Wynona declared, switching back to her original armor without wasting a moment. If this was really just a game, then having your characters wear see-through armor wouldn’t be a problem at all, but when you were the one equipping it, it was a whole different question…
Pecora picked up the slime set and carried it over to me.
“How about some ultimate gear, O mighty hero?”
“Absolutely not!”
✦ ✦ ✦
At long last, our party proceeded into the monsters’ world. It ended up being about what I expected it to be: one of those creepy, uncanny zones every game seemed to feature at some point. I strongly suspected only monsters would want to live in a place like this.
It turned out the demon king’s four generals were all holed up in caves or towers, each of which was located in one of the cardinal directions. Our task was to visit them in sequence, defeat the generals within, and then finally storm the demon king’s castle.
“We’ll be going from one boss battle to another from now on, most likely, so be ready for a real gauntlet,” I said. Judging by the story so far, we’d be fighting the elder god immediately after beating the demon king.
“We sure will, but there’s something else I’m more worried about,” Pecora said with a look of concern on her face.
“What is it? Don’t just keep it to yourself,” I said.
✦ ✦ ✦
“We never found any sign whatsoever of my missing elder brother!”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Now that you mention it…!”
“It’s totally unthinkable the story would end without him ever showing up,” said Pecora. “Do you think he’s become the demon king, maybe?”
“I can’t rule it out, honestly…”
Having an older brother or former teammate turn up as an enemy’s a classic plot twist, after all.
✦ ✦ ✦
In the end, we had no choice but to delve into the first cave without solving the mystery of Pecora’s brother. The enemies within were tough, but our ultimate spells and techniques were powerful enough to swat them like flies. By making ample use of magic recovery items, we were able to make a beeline for the cave’s deepest point with ease.
“All right, then—who’s gonna be the first of the demon king’s four generals? Whoever it is, we’ll wipe the floor with them!” I said. I was feeling pretty hyped up for the battle to come. We’d been playing this game for quite a long time, and I have to admit I’d gotten rather wrapped up in it.
We stepped into a wide-open room in the cave’s depths—the sort of room where a boss was sure to lie in wait—and found…Falfa and Shalsha!
“We’re the first of the demon king’s four generals, Falfa and Shalsha! We’ll take you heroes down!” said Falfa.
“Shalsha agrees. You’ll never see the other three generals, because this cavern will be your grave.”
Aww, look at them! Those outfits make them look just like top executives in a demon king’s army! It suits them so well! Then again, Falfa and Shalsha look amazing in just about any outfit!
There was, however, one element of this scenario that didn’t quite make sense to me.