Shangri-La Frontier Episode 2

Anime Recap: Shangri-La Frontier Episode 2 starts where the Episode 1 has ended. The formidable knight guarding Firstia turns out to be Rei, equipped with late-game gear that stands out in the starting city. Having heard that Sunraku uses the same name in all his games, Rei searches for him but is unable to locate him amidst the bustling city. Assuming she might have missed him, she gives up the search.

Meanwhile, Sunraku faces the Ravenous Snake area boss. Choosing to observe its attacks first, he activates Tap Step to boost his evasion and deftly dodges the snake's assaults. Sunraku, suspecting that it's a beginner-level boss without one-shot kill attacks, remains cautious due to his lack of armor. During the battle, one of his blades breaks due to low durability. Switching to the Vorpal Choppers, he prepares to execute a Screw Pierce, but the snake spits something poisonous from its tail, and Sunraku finds himself poisoned.

Feeling he underestimated the snake, Sunraku realizes he has about four minutes until the poison takes its toll. He recalls that this game doesn't rely on random critical hits but rather on attacking in an ideal way or hitting weak points. Considering the snake's tough scales, he identifies its head as the weak point. Aiming for the head proves difficult, so Sunraku devises a plan to create his own weak point. Using Screw Pierce, he stabs the snake and inflicts a wound, allowing him to land critical hits. However, the snake doesn't succumb, pushing him away and healing the wound.

Sunraku acknowledges his arrogance in thinking this game would be easier than the trash games he played before. The snake attempts to devour him, but Sunraku blocks the attack. Unequipping one of his blades, he grabs the snake's head with his free hand and executes a Screw Pierce directly into the snake's left eye. The critical hit proves decisive, ultimately killing the formidable Ravenous Snake.

Sunraku gains two levels from defeating the Ravenous Snake, reaching level 14. The snake also drops Python Scale and Python White Hair items. However, to Sunraku's surprise, he remains poisoned. Quickly checking for any missed items and allocating his new stats into stamina and agility, he rushes toward the town to buy an antidote. Unfortunately, he realizes he doesn't know the location of the shops, prompting the need to register a respawn point. Yet, Sunraku is unsure of its location.

At the front gates of Secondil, players Reiji and Mia discuss taming a dog-type monster. Excited about finally convincing his crush Mia to play Shangri-La Frontier with him, Reiji notices Sunraku running towards them. Mistaking him for a monster, Mia draws her bow, but Reiji intervenes, recognizing Sunraku as a player with the name displayed above his head. Reiji explains that killing a player results in a skull next to the offender's name. Wondering why Sunraku is running, Reiji surmises that he got hit by the poison snake poop. Yelling at Sunraku, Reiji points to a white building, the inn, instructing him to get into the bed to register a respawn point. Sunraku thanks him as he passes by.

Reiji shares that many players were running at full speed like Sunraku when the game started, guessing that Sunraku is going for an agility build and sold his armor at the beginning. Mia admires Reiji's veteran knowledge, and Reiji expresses his happiness, thanking Sunraku for the compliment.

Sunraku manages to reach the bed with only 1 HP remaining, feeling a moment of relief. However, at that precise moment, his HP reaches zero, resulting in his death. As a penalty, all his stats are temporarily reduced.

Sunraku, exploring a town in Shangri-La Frontier (SLF) for the first time, sets out to shop for a map, recovery items, new equipment, and a more powerful main weapon to replace his Mercenary Twinblades. Half-naked and wearing a bird mask, other players notice him and start laughing. Deciding to address his appearance, Sunraku first heads to an armor shop and purchases the cheapest clothing set, Splitblade Leather. Made from Mud Frog Skin, the leather clothing grants slash resistance for 4000 mahni. He decides to wear the Splitblade Leather set but opts not to don the Splitblade Leather Mask as it looks odd.

Next, he visits a weapon shop, attempting to sell the Goblin Hand Axe, but the NPC isn't interested. Checking the list of weapons for sale, Sunraku doesn't find anything superior to his Vorpal Choppers. The NPC suggests that if Sunraku wants a better weapon, he can craft one by bringing the necessary materials. To reach the third city, Thirdrema, players must pass through Diremarsh Waste, a location with ores to be mined. Sunraku heads there, frustrated after mostly mining normal stones for 30 minutes and obtaining only two Gray Ore. The muddy terrain and the weight of his pickaxe add to his annoyance.

A non-aggressive Mud Frog shows up, and Sunraku, initially ignoring it, becomes angered as it covers him in mud. In frustration, he throws his pickaxe at the frog, knocking it out, and finishes it off. Realizing that slash attacks won't work on the frog due to his slash-resistant Mud Frog Skin armor, Sunraku equips the Goblin Hand Axe and obtains Mud Frog Skin from the defeated creature. Seeing new players, he decides to resume mining, anticipating an influx of players during the summer break, making the mining area more crowded.

Having collected about a dozen Gray Ores and even discovering a Marshcoffin Fossil, Sunraku impresses the NPC, who can use the materials to make a Marsh Dagger. Agreeing to this, Sunraku asks for two Marsh Daggers, and while the NPC crafts them, Sunraku shops for maps and other items. Upon returning, he receives his newly forged weapons, which boast the effect of halving durability reduction for a time after a critical hit.

As Sunraku wonders about further upgrades, the NPC explains that using magic allows them to enhance weapons, making them more powerful. Impressed by the NPC's responsiveness to the conversation, Sunraku plans to gather more materials for future upgrades. With nightfall approaching, the NPC warns him not to leave the town in such armor, as night monsters are dangerous. Excited about testing his new weapons on night monsters, Sunraku eagerly prepares to venture out.

Meanwhile, Rei searches the entire first zone but fails to find Sunraku. She speculates that he may have defeated the Ravenous Snake and headed to Secondil without dying, questioning if a new player could accomplish such a feat. Rei faces the Ravenous Snake herself, dispatching it with a single strike.

In Diremarsh Waste, Sunraku battles a formidable Redcap Goblin. While he had encountered and leveled up against some aggressive night monsters previously, the Redcap Goblin proves stronger and more agile. Calling for reinforcements, the Redcap Goblin prepares for a challenging fight with Sunraku. To his surprise, however, the goblins are swiftly defeated by a large wolf, an unique monster known as Lycagon the Nightslayer.

Shangri-La Frontier Episode 2 ends at the video game company offices, where a monitor displays that the game's story progress remains at 0%, as no unique monster has been killed yet.