Skills
Concealment: A skill usable when completely stationary. Renders the user invisible to other players and monsters. An advanced version of Presence Concealment.
Perception Disruption: A skill that distorts the user's appearance and voice with noise. An advanced version of Presence Concealment.
Sniper: A skill that activates only for physical ranged attacks. When the target is unaware of the user, it ignores the target's defense, but distance-based damage reduction is doubled.
Items
Antidote Smoked Insect: A smoked caterpillar that feeds on poisonous leaves. Consuming it may cure weak poisons due to the caterpillar's poison resistance, but its small size raises doubts about its effectiveness from a single dose.
Anti-Paralysis Smoked Insect: A smoked centipede that feeds on carrion. Its paralytic saliva may mildly promote paralysis recovery, but its small size casts doubt on its effectiveness from a single dose.
Awakening Smoked Insect: A smoked spider that feeds on the spinal fluid of dying creatures. Eating a spider with fangs that induce deep sleep may help overcome mild drowsiness, but its small size raises doubts about its effectiveness from a single dose.
The crumbling town is mostly a collection of dilapidated buildings, each patched up with makeshift repairs.
At dusk, the rhythmic clang of NPCs' heavy hammers echoes, pointlessly mending structures as they do every day.
Yet, a few grand buildings stand out. One is Baron Baland's mansion. Why he calls himself a "baron" is anyone's guess, but he plays the part of the town's lord, managing criminals and the like. Given he's behind concoctions like the drug I was hit with, he's far from a sane NPC.
Then there are the homes of influential merchants. These NPCs seem tied to events, but triggering them requires spending a fortune at their shops—a tall order in DBO, where money is as precious as life, making these events nearly inaccessible early on.
"Disarmed. That good?"
"Uh, yeah. Sorry about… you know."
"Don't sweat it, Grizzly. Ku's just got a short fuse when it comes to that."
The bedroom I was in is on the second floor, and we're heading downstairs for a so-called banquet with ZOO's members, doubling as a meeting. Weapons and armor are apparently too crude for the occasion, so I'm unequipping my war pick.
Grizzly, overseeing me, is still shaken from my earlier outburst. Shinon, unfazed, seems to have accepted my explosions as routine.
I was in a foul mood after that bad dream, so maybe pummeling my savior was overkill. A single lariat would've sufficed.
"By the way, who's your leader? This is partly a party-to-party meeting, after all."
Grizzly's question is fair. Every party has a leader, even in tight-knit groups where everyone seems equal.
"Uh… Diavel, I guess?"
"Yeah. Neither Ku nor I are leader material."
"You two are so casual," Diavel says, exasperated but nodding. "Fine, I'll be the temporary leader."
Grizzly looks more stunned than Diavel by our half-hearted answers.
Come to think of it, our shaky teamwork might stem from a lack of clear leadership. Maybe this is a chance for Diavel to take charge properly.
But it's odd. Diavel has the charisma to lead—my first impression pegged him as a natural. Yet he's never pushed to be leader or shown that ambition. Even now, he's just the "temporary" leader.
It's almost like he doesn't want to lead…
"Overthinking it? Guessing people's hearts is best left at guesses. Prying's off-limits."
"Your comments are so out of context sometimes," Shinon quips aptly as we descend the stairs, led by Grizzly, followed by Diavel, me, and Shinon.
Grizzly leads us to a living room set for nine, with five seats already taken.
"You're up. Sounds like you caused a ruckus upstairs," says a man lounging arrogantly in an armchair, staring at me.
He's a redhead with a short cut, athletic build, and decent looks—probably a sportsman IRL. This must be ZOO's leader.
"Uh, s-sorry," I stammer, barely managing an apology. Six strangers at once is too much for me. I pass the baton to Diavel with a glance. Shinon seems to be stifling a laugh.
Prompted by the leader, we sit. The meal is a creamy stew and soft bread—rare in this world. It screams wealth.
"First, thanks and intros. I'm Diavel, temporary leader of our party. This guy, who might look like a girl but is absolutely a dude, is Kuuri. That's Shinon."
Shinon nods slightly, clearly planning to let Diavel handle this while she digs into the food. Yeah, let the charismatic guy deal with the hassle while we focus on eating.
But a concern hits me. Poisoning in safe zones was impossible in SAO, but what about DBO? Kayaba's successor setting up a safe zone feels like an obvious trap.
"I'm Diamonwolf, leader of the six-member party ZOO. Nice to meet you. You've met Grizzly, who checked on Kuuri earlier."
"I'm Rayfox, the deputy leader. Yo!" says a mid-20s woman in a revealing outfit.
"And this is…" Diamonwolf continues.
"I'm Swallow," says a bespectacled teenage girl, likely late teens, with a studious, rule-stickler vibe. Her name suggests she used her real name for login.
"I'm Kingliger! I'm the axe-wielding damage dealer!" boasts a flashy early-20s guy with red-streaked blonde hair, better suited for a band.
All eyes turn to the last member, a man in a red coat and brimmed hat, arms crossed, silent. He shows no sign of speaking.
"Ahem! That's Eagleeye. He's the quiet type, so don't take offense," Diamonwolf says.
Before he finishes, Eagleeye leaves without touching his food. He's not just shy or trying to be cool—he's a true lone wolf, hard-boiled style. Despite the eagle name. I can't imagine him joining a party, invited or not.
ZOO's members watch Eagleeye's exit with mixed expressions but start eating. Shinon's already halfway through her stew. No point poisoning us for a PK here, right? My paranoia's probably overblown.
I try the stew. It's just… normal. Which makes it amazing.