"POINT AND KO SYSTEM! UNLIMITED TIME, ONE-MATCH ROUND! BEGIN!"
While I was still failing to grasp the situation, the game battle between Six and Magical Milky-chan began. There wasn't even an explanation of the rules.
I assumed it was some kind of fighting game format, so I needed to at least understand the basic controls. I tried moving my body as a test.
It seemed the helmet had a function like motion capture, as my body in the game world moved exactly as I moved in reality. This allowed for intuitive control.
However, it wasn't that simple. The world of the game and reality were, needless to say, completely different landscapes. The view projected in the VR goggles was flat ground, but the reality I was in was a ship rocking violently.
The discrepancy between what I was seeing and the balance I was actually feeling created an intense sense of cognitive dissonance. It's said that VR games easily cause 3D motion sickness due to stressors like unexpected visual shaking, but when the quality is this high, the susceptibility to sickness is also off the charts.
"Hee-hee-hee! How is it, your first taste of the cyber-world? Once you get used to it, the eye-movement detection for action prediction and the EEGD (Electroencephalography Digitizing) system allow for comfortable control even while sitting in a gaming chair-pyon! Although, beginners should first be careful not to puke-pyon!"
The principles of 3D motion sickness and motion sickness are still largely unexplained, but they are thought to be a kind of hallucinatory symptom caused by the brain's misperception due to sensory differences. The most concerning factor for a wild creature seeing hallucinations is symptoms from ingesting poison, and the nausea from motion sickness is a defense reaction to expel toxins from the body.
In other words, since this was a normal human physiological reaction, aura-based restoration wouldn't work. I could suppress extreme symptoms, but I couldn't completely eliminate the sickness. Aura restoration wasn't omnipotent; it had these inflexible parts.
"Now, it's about time to end the chatter-pyon! Become the victim of my strongest magic-pyon!"
Milky finally launched an attack. When she swung her wand, a ball of light was fired from its tip. It headed toward me at the speed of a hard-hit baseball.
I dodged immediately. If it was a single shot, it wasn't too hard to avoid, but Milky fired balls one after another. In the real world, I could have dodged them normally. But in this world with different sensations, I felt like I was going to trip over nothing if I wasn't careful.
Unable to dodge the rapid fire of light balls, I was hit by one. Immediately after, I was struck by a sensation like an electric shock running through my head.
"CLEAN HIT! ONE POINT! MILKY!"
It was the electric attack Noah had been subjected to. Apparently, this electric shock was also used as a damage effect in the game. It wasn't strong enough to make me lose consciousness, but my body stiffened from the sudden electrical stimulation. I managed to use my momentum to dodge the follow-up. I'll have to be careful of the stiffness next time.
Even though I was hit by a light ball, my character in the game was still fine. My clothes were a bit torn, but I could act without problems. However, a gauge-like thing and a display saying 9/10 popped up at the edge of my vision. This likely represented my health. If I was hit by the same attack nine more times, I would lose.
"Looks like you were saved by the Magical Girl Battle Costume-pyon! But that guard won't last forever-pyon! You'd better be careful not to end up buck naked-pyon!"
I basically understood the rules. Now for my means of attack. Perhaps I could fire light balls from the toy wand I was holding as well? When I tried swinging it around, an attack came out just as I thought.
"Gwah!?"
Unluckily, the test shot hit the referee who was nearby. Sorry.
Milky talked grandly about her magic being the strongest and whatnot, but the light balls from my wand looked identical in size and speed. It seemed she wasn't using her position as a game creator to impose unfair rules. Surprisingly, the character stats themselves were fair.
With this, I saw a lead for a counterattack. I started swinging my wand like crazy, firing off balls.
"What is that movement!?"
In short, the attack was triggered in response to the motion of swinging the wand. Therefore, by swinging my arm and returning it with minimal movement, a faster rate of fire became possible. Timing the moment the ball was fired, I reinforced my muscles with aura, applied a sudden brake, then immediately relaxed, using the recoil to quickly return my arm to its original position.
That movement, like a broken wind-up doll, might have looked a bit strange, but I couldn't care about appearances. I couldn't afford to lose either.
"Kyaaaa!"
"CLEAN HIT! ONE POINT! SIX!"
The barrage strategy worked, and I was able to shave off Milky's health gauge. Just as I was getting excited about ending the match in one go, I realized the existence of a clever trap the enemy had laid.
"Oh nooo!"
Taking a direct hit from the light ball I fired, Milky's battle costume was partially damaged. The already revealing bunny-girl-themed outfit became even more scandalous. I reflexively looked away.
"You did it now! Take this-pyon!"
The enemy wasn't about to miss that opening. A rain of light balls came flying. Unable to look directly at her, I took the hits pathetically.
"CLEAN HIT! ONE POINT, MILKY! 2-1!"
Calm down. I've only hit Milky once; for me to win, I have to land nine more clean hits. Nine more times... if I do that, what will happen to Milky's clothes?
Just imagining it made my head feel like it was boiling. What a despicable psychological attack.
"C'mon, c'mon! No time to be shy-pyon!"
But I couldn't succumb here. Clearing my mind, I fired a lethal barrage. With this, even if I didn't look closely at the opponent, I could overwhelm her with sheer numbers.
Or so I thought, but no matter how many balls I fired, the referee's voice never announced a hit. When I stole a glance at Milky, she was dodging every single one with ease. Seeing that fluid movement, I could tell at a glance how superior her physical sense was in this virtual world.
I realized that the point I had won wasn't even a lucky hit. If Milky got serious, the balls I fired blindly wouldn't even graze her. I felt the gap in player skill.
"I wonder if it's okay for me to throw such a perfect pitch?"
Somehow, I sensed a dangerous aura and heightened my vigilance. That premonition was correct. Instead of firing a ball, Milky hit back the ball I had fired with her wand. So it could be used that way too.
Moreover, it wasn't just a defense. The reflected ball had a speed that was in a different league. I tried to dodge that intense counterattack, but the sensory gap between virtual and reality delayed my reaction like lag. The ball hit directly, and an especially powerful electric shock ran through my body.
"DOWN! ONE POINT, MILKY! 3-1!"
The speed was doubled, and so was the power. It was clearly different from the previous attack power. Furthermore, an effect of chicks flying in a circle appeared over my head, and the response of my character, which was already hard to control, dropped even further.
I wanted to ask her to treat it as a knockdown and give me time to recover, but according to the game's progress, I had apparently recovered from the knockdown, and naturally, the enemy's attacks didn't stop during that gap.
"CLEAN HIT AND CRITICAL! 6-1!"
I allowed the enemy to score massive points, and my health was gutted. At this rate, it wouldn't be long until my defeat was certain. In contrast, Milky's health remained at 9. I gnashed my teeth at the overwhelming difference.
If I didn't change this flow, I would lose. At the very least, I had no chance of winning unless I held out until the status ailment wore off. It would be great if there was cover to hide behind, but no such convenient object was placed in this arena.
No, was there really nothing? I dug up every memory I had experienced since coming here. Among them was one object that could block the light balls. I had no choice but to flee to that place.
"CRITICAL! 8-1!"
I ran regardless of being hit by the balls. With this, my remaining health was 2. If a critical judgment came out, I would lose in one hit. Dragging my body that wouldn't move as I wanted, I dove into the place of my last hope.
"Gwah!?"
The light ball hit the referee, and he let out a groan. Yes, that place was the shadow of the referee! I used his body as a shield to block Milky's light balls.
"Hmph, to think you'd realize the REFEREE DEFENSE strategy at this last moment... you're quite a promising magical girl-pyon! But! I wonder how long that defense will last?"
"Gwah!?" "Gwah!?" "Gwah!?" "Gwah!?" "Gwah!?" "Gwah!?" "Gwah!?" "Gwah!?" "Gwah!?" "Gwah!?"
The referee was showered with numerous light balls, but he remained standing upright without moving from the spot. Sorry, Mr. Referee. Please endure a little longer.
I took a deep breath and calmed my mind. What I needed right now wasn't a plan for a major comeback. It was just to be calm.
What was the point of being depressed over the difference in points or player skill? I should have known from the start that this was a stage the enemy had prepared and that it was the enemy's home turf. It wouldn't have been surprising if I had been faced with an even more unreasonable match. Considering that, lamenting the current situation was nothing but weakness.
Milky had prepared a sufficiently fair arena. She was proposing an equal match as a fellow gamer. Given her pride, she would surely keep her promise. If I won, she would tell me Pomerni's location.
I was the one who lacked seriousness, having a flighty attitude because it was 'just a game.' There's no way to win a match without looking at the essence of the opponent you're fighting.
"GWAAAAAAAH!!"
It seemed the referee's health had exceeded its limit. The referee's body, which had been fixed like an ornament until then, was blown out of the arena. With this, there was no place left to hide. However, thanks to the time I had bought, the status ailment had worn off. And I was ready to make my resolve.
From here, it starts for real.
Perhaps Milky also sensed the difference in my aura, as she temporarily stopped her attacks.
"You don't think you can win from this point difference, do you?"