The New Gate

“Pool time!”

After days of putting all his energy into the cards, the day came for Shin to go to the training pool.

In this world, playing near water, whether it be a river or the sea, was itself accompanied by danger. That’s why he seemed excited about the pool, where he could play safely.

“You’re getting too excited.”

“I made the swimsuit settings especially for this day, so let’s have fun.”

The settings Shin was talking about were changing the appearance of the equipment.

There was a blacksmithing skill that changed the appearance and weight of equipment when diving into water. By doing this, one could instantly transition to underwater combat without having to switch equipment. This was useful when you fell into the sea while fighting on a ship.

Using this skill, even if you were originally wearing full metal armor, you could move lightly underwater. There was a slight penalty depending on the skill proficiency and the weight of the equipment, but your defensive power remained almost the same.

By the way, it seemed that in this day and age, the most common equipment for fighting underwater was a type that covered the entire body, like a wetsuit.

Shin heard this when he went to hear an explanation of the facility and tried to prepare a swimsuit of that type, but Milt insisted that training should be done using the original equipment.

Therefore, he gave the new equipment the ability to change into a swimsuit.

“Well, it seems like no one else is using the pool, so we can play around.”

Those who were not specialists in underwater combat switched to land equipment depending on their skills and items. In the worst case scenario, they fought underwater with the same equipment as was.

Equipment for underwater combat could not be used to its full potential on land, so unless you had the funds to spare, no one bothered to prepare it.

Shin thought that this might be one of the reasons why there were so few users of the training pool.

“It seems that only the two of you were given the equipment, but how was it? With Milt’s style, I’m sure you had a lot of fun, and I don’t care if Schnee gets angry with you.”

Shin answered Filma’s teasing remark with ease.

“I’ve already taken measures for that.”

The design of the swimsuit was completely random, so you just kept trying until you found the one you liked.

As a result, it was not uncommon for it to end up like a fashion show.

Some designs were a little risqué, so, even in the game days, few people would ask the opposite sex to enhance them. In Milt’s case, far from being embarrassed, she proudly showed them off, so it’s true that it was a feast for the eyes.

However, what was worrying was Schnee’s mood.

So Shin suggested to Schnee that she try changing the design of her swimsuit.

“Oh, when did that happen?”

“While Filma and Milt were at the martial arts festival.”

“Maybe I should have asked you to change my design too.”

“You’re definitely thinking of something bad!”

Filma grinned, and Shin gave her a dirty look in return.

She probably wouldn’t go too far, but as someone who was being teased, he wished he’d be spared.

After arriving at the facility and checking in, they each went through the changing rooms and headed to the pool.

They could change their equipment into swimsuits without getting in the water, so they mostly just passed right by. However, changing into a swimsuit was based on the premise of underwater combat, so there was a negative adjustment to their stats on land.

This was due to a correction made to prevent players from using heavy armor as light armor by taking advantage of the swimsuit transformation. This also applied in this world.

However, Shin and the others wouldn’t bother to change into swimsuits unless it was a situation like this, and since their equipment was light to begin with, there was practically no negative correction.

“…It’s a good thing there were no other users besides us.”

“Yes, even setting aside favoritism, it must have hindered the training of the other users.”

Seeing the women coming out of the corridor leading to the changing rooms, Shin and Shibaid nodded to each other.

Everyone was exposing their bodies without reservation, and it was certain to draw the eyes of both men and women.

“Both Schnee and Milt have changed their looks quite a bit. Maybe I should have changed mine too.”

“But sometimes they come out amazing.”

The design of the swimsuits worn by Filma and Tiera hadn’t changed since they went to the beach before, but their fresh and beautiful look remains the same.

Tiera didn’t look too pleased with Filma’s comment, probably because when deciding on the shape of her swimsuit, she came up with a somewhat risky design.

Sety had said she wouldn’t go to the pool, but she was persuaded and came along after all.

“I knew it, but you all don’t seem to want to hide it.”

This was the first time Shin had seen Sety’s swimsuit in this world.

The white dress with a gorgeous floral pattern was cute, and her twin-tailed hair suited her. However, her gaze was drawn to the chests of the others.

Their style was more noticeable than in their usual clothes, so the difference was inevitably noticeable.

This time, it was Milt and Schnee who had changed their outfits.

“Hehehe. The swimsuit wasn’t bad, but if you’re going out in public, you have to wear something like this! Anyway, I heard that Schnee changed the design, but it’s pretty bold.”

“That’s not what I intended.” 

“Is that so? Isn’t it sexier than the previous one?” 

Milt had a swimsuit in her pre-update equipment, 『Oriental Battle Garb』, which was a bit of a niche design, but in her post-update equipment, 『Flowing Grace Garb』, she changed it to a white bikini with pale pink frills. The frills were thin enough to show her top, and her twin breasts, which could have been hidden with a different color, still made their presence known. 

However, because of her own playfulness, she still had a strong childish vibe. In contrast to Milt, Schnee had changed from a cool blue bikini to a type of bikini called a black cross halter. The strings crossing in front of her neck brought her breasts together in the center, emphasizing her deep cleavage. The bottoms were layered, and when Schnee, who didn’t like flashy things, wore them, it stimulated the imagination even more.

“Hmm. It doesn’t look like a design that Schnee picked out herself. Maybe it’s a sign of rivalry with Milt.”

Hearing Filma mutter, Sety shook her head.

“No no, Sis Fil. I think Milt changing it was just an excuse. She really wanted to see Shin’s reaction when she changed the shape. Shin chose the previous one, but the situation is different now.”

That’s probably what got the best reaction, Sety explained his theory.

Having heard what she was saying, Shin nodded in his mind, saying that he understood very well.

She didn’t tell the party members, but it took twice as long to decide on Schnee’s swimsuit design as it did for Milt. That showed how carefully it was chosen. Although it was Shin who suggested changing into a different swimsuit, there was no doubt that Schnee also enjoyed wearing various swimsuits.

By the way, even the ones that were rejected were all screenshotted and saved as footage. They were the spoils of him begging Schnee that he would never show them to anyone else.

“Forget about the swimsuit, I’ll get ready to train.”

“What, you’re not going to play!?”

Surprised by Schnee’s urging to start training, Milt’s eyes widened.

“Even though we’re the only ones using it, it’s a training facility. If we don’t act a little like it, it’ll set a bad example.”

“It’s not like there’s a supervisor or anything.”

“It’s a matter of attitude.”

“Mm, then, I’ll give it my all for the first time in a while.”

Milt was shocked by Schnee’s words, but she also liked fighting strong opponents. That aside, it seemed to have changed her mood.

The only time Shin had actually engaged in underwater combat since coming to this world was when he searched for one of the guild houses, the 2nd Assault Ship Celciutos.

It wasn’t easy, fighting a large boss and exploring a dungeon, but it still wasn’t much experience here.

It wouldn’t be a waste to get a certain amount of training so that his sense of underwater combat wouldn’t become rusty. He decided to use the first hour or so for training, and conducted one-on-one and one-on-many mock battles.

Since the members’ stats were high, it was packed with content even in a short amount of time.

Yuzuha and Kagerou also handled underwater combat with ease once they put on their equipment. They were able to use equipment for underwater breathing to begin with, so there was no reason why the rest wouldn’t work.

However, Kagerou’s ability, 【Shadow Dive】, was not available underwater. It seemed that he could dive into the shadows that form at the bottom of the water, but that didn’t mean he could hide and wait nearby like he could on land.

It looked like he’d have to stay nearby while remaining visible underwater.

After training was over, they decided to use earth magic to recreate a sandy beach by the pool and play beach volleyball. The idea was raised by Milt. It seems this was one of the things she wanted to try.

“Get it!”

As Milt shouted, the ball was slammed into the air with incredible force.

The volleyball-like thing, made from rare materials, withstood Milt’s blow and shot through the air with enough force to leave an afterimage.

Shin refused to let her score, so he received the ball, but his arm jolted from the impact.

He had used skills to adjust everyone’s stats to be about the same, so it was impossible to force an advantage with high ability.

The surrounding sand was kicked up by the impact, but Shin managed to block it.

The ball, having lost its momentum, flew through the air.

At that moment, Schnee jumped as if he had known what was going to happen. Her spike landed accurately in the corner of the court.

As if Sety had read the situation, she got into a receiving position.

However, the ball, which had been traveling straight, suddenly began to snake.

“Oh, wait!”

The speed and movement of the ball confused Sety. Her reaction speed didn’t change, but her lowered stats meant her movements were delayed. Although the ball hit her arm, it flew in the wrong direction and rolled across the sand.

“I enabled skills because the rallies were going on too long, but it was surprisingly fun.”

“You’re right. I discovered that I could use skills like this too. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out at first.”

When they first started, they were playing “something like volleyball,” with the ball being hit so fast it left an afterimage.

Now that the stats have been restricted, it looked like the real thing, but it’s still a little different from the beach volleyball Shin knew.

However, it would be rude to point that out. Not only Milt, but the other members seemed to be enjoying it too, so this was fine.

“Well, next I’ll be the referee.”

The members formed teams by drawing lots, and the referee took turns. Since there were special skills, there were an unusual number of people in each team. Yuzuha and Kagerou were just watching.

“Even so, this is…”

After checking the balls flying around, Shin groaned in his mind while pretending to be expressionless. Maybe because there was no one around, everyone was moving without restraint.

Because of this, they were shaking. He wouldn’t say what they were, but they were shaking.

Even though it looked like a swimsuit, there was no physical strain due to the effect of the equipment. In addition, even though the stats were restricted, their movements were far more intense than those of an ordinary person.

Dressed in clothes that were more revealing than usual, they jump, bend, and run. Shin didn’t always look there, but… perhaps it was the nature of a sad man that his eyes were drawn to it.

“…I’m scared of what’ll happen next.”

For a moment, his eyes met Schnee’s as he turned towards her. Her eyes were definitely aware of what was going on.

At almost the same time that Shin thought, “Oh no!”, Schnee’s right arm moved as if to lift her chest.

Her expression looked angry, like she was sulking.

—If you’re going to look, then look only at me.

That’s what Shin felt he was being told.

𑁋

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