Chapter 91
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Tarask Robe Quality: Fine Rarity: S (Special Grade)
A robe made from the thick hide of a Tarask. It comes with a hood and grants resistance to poison and fire.
The lining is made from Green Wind Wolf hide, granting resistance to wind as well.
Equipment Effect: 【Poison Resistance】 Lv3
【Fire Resistance】 Lv3
【Wind Resistance】 Lv2
Crafter: Iris
Tarask Gauntlets Quality: Fine Rarity: S (Special Grade)
Gauntlets made from the thick hide of a Tarask. They grant resistance to poison and fire.
Fragments of a Tarask's shell have been attached at key points, making them light while providing both physical and magical defense.
Equipment Effect: 【Magic Resistance】 Lv2
【Poison Resistance】 Lv2
【Fire Resistance】 Lv2
Crafter: Iris
Green Wind Wolf Gauntlets Quality: Fine Rarity: S (Special Grade)
Gauntlets made from Green Wind Wolf fur. They have been dyed black.
They can imbue the weapon being held with a slight wind attribute.
The lining is made from Lesser Snake Dragon hide, granting the effect of slightly amplifying 【Wind Magic】.
Equipment Effect: 【Wind Attribute Infusion】 Lv2
【Wind Magic Enhancement】
Crafter: Iris
Forest Beast Turtle Belt Quality: Fine Rarity: R (Rare Grade)
A belt made from Forest Beast Turtle hide. It slightly increases maximum Health.
It has a pouch on the right and a book holder on the left, each allowing items to be quickly inserted and removed. Capacity: 5
Equipment Effect: 【Health Increase】 Lv2
Crafter: Iris
Tarask Pants Quality: Fine Rarity: S (Special Grade)
Pants made from the thick hide of a Tarask. They grant resistance to poison and fire.
Equipment Effect: 【Poison Resistance】 Lv2
【Fire Resistance】 Lv2
Crafter: Iris
Forest Beast Turtle Boots Quality: Fine Rarity: R (Rare Grade)
Boots made from Forest Beast Turtle hide. They slightly increase maximum Health.
They have magical-bone spikes on the soles, making them difficult to slip in. They also increase damage when stomping.
Equipment Effect: 【Health Increase】 Lv2
Crafter: Iris
True Scale Necklace Quality: Fine Rarity: S (Special Grade)
A necklace made using the true scales of the young dragon Karnagtool.
It slightly increases maximum Mana and amplifies 【Dark Magic】 and Abyssal Magic a little.
Equipment Effect: 【Mana Increase】 Lv2
【Dark Magic Enhancement】
【Abyssal Magic Enhancement】
Crafter: Iris
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...Wonderful. That one word sums up my impressions. When I saw the results of 【Appraisal】, I even doubted my own eyes. Naturally, I can't deny that they pale somewhat beside the rewards from the 'Trial of the Azure Moon.' However, aren't they outstanding for player-made equipment?
In my case, 【Poison Resistance】 would go to waste, but even without that, there is no changing the fact that this is powerful equipment. Besides, a necklace made with Cal's true scales is practically an item made for me, isn't it? As expected of Iris's work. Shall I equip it right away?
"Perfect work, Iris! Thank you!"
"You're welco... Ah! Come to think of it, Izam, you have the robe you received from the 'Trial of the Azure Moon,' don't you...?"
"Hm?"
Iris began hurriedly writhing her tentacles as if crying, 'I messed up!' It was true that I possessed an item called the 'Moon's Feather Robe' as a reward from the 'Trial of the Azure Moon.' But there was no need to worry.
"That's true. Then I'll just change its form."
"Huh?"
I returned the 'Moon's Feather Robe' to its original shape, something a celestial maiden might wear. Apparently, Iris had forgotten that it had the 【Color/Shape Change】 effect.
"Heh heh, had you forgotten?"
"Y-yes..."
I gave off an air of smugness... though I couldn't make a smug face, being a skeleton. However, returning the 'Moon's Feather Robe' to its original form resulted in the surreal sight of a skeleton wearing the robe over a leather shirt and pants. It looked creepy, so I might as well equip it!
I retrieved the equipment from the mannequin, opened the menu, and equipped everything with practiced efficiency. After covering my body in armor and putting on the necklace, I changed the 'Moon's Feather Robe' into a dark purple stole with 【Color/Shape Change】 and draped it over my shoulders. With that, I had finished switching to my new equipment.
"Wow! You look wonderful!"
Iris was writhing her tentacles more enthusiastically than ever. Since she was the creator, the design was completely an expression of her tastes. Iris also seemed to like skeletons and such, so merely seeing me wearing it must have been tremendously exciting for her.
"Ah... Iris. I'd like to go hunting to check the equipment's performance. Do you know of any good hunting grounds?"
"Ah, yes. I think the area Jigorou and Genjuro have been going to would be good. It's west of Birdy Perch."
"Oh?"
The thought of going to a place those two frequented was a little frightening, but if Iris recommended it, there probably wouldn't be a problem. Still, I decided to ask what kind of place it was.
"Do you know the area's name and what it's like?"
"The area is called the 'Ancient Ruined City.' It's a cluster of ruins left behind after the collapse of a civilization as advanced as the one that built the 'Ancient Moving Tower.' As the name suggests, it's quite large, and there's still no end in sight to its exploration."
"It's that large...?"
"The area itself doesn't seem to be all that large, but exploration has been delayed because there are items in good condition inside the collapsed buildings. And apparently, the monsters that appear there are troublesome too."
"We can't repair them, though," Iris said with a sigh. Recovering items from when the city was still thriving was important, so I could understand why exploration had been delayed. But I couldn't help being astonished by the latter half of Iris's statement.
"Monsters? Those two are having trouble?"
"Trouble... More like the matchup is absolutely terrible."
A bad matchup? What kind of monster were they fighting?
"The main monsters are Harpies—bird monsters with human heads."
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After leaving Iris's forge, I headed to the opposite side of Mother's Mistletoe. I had business with the two people and one dragon who should be there.
"Ha-ha-ha! Nice! It's getting sharper!"
"GROOOOOOOAR!!"
"Come now, don't let your guard down!"
As I drew closer to my destination, I heard those voices along with the sounds of battle. Jigorou, Genjuro, and Cal were engaged in a three-way mock battle.
I had already heard from Iris what they were doing, so I wasn't surprised. However, seeing it in person, they seemed to be undergoing some extremely intense training. It was practically a real battle.
"Well, well, brother. Done with work?"
"Indeed, it's been a while."
"Yeah. It's been a while, you two."
The mock battle seemed to have been interrupted when Jigorou noticed me. Sorry for interrupting.
"Grr? Grrrrrrrr!!!"
"There, there. You're still a spoiled one, aren't you, Cal?"
Cal noticed me a little later than the other two. He let out a happy cry, rushed up to me, and rubbed his head against me. Even though his body had grown larger, he was still as spoiled as ever. Perhaps it was bad of me as a parent to find that so adorable.
"Oh? Your equipment's changed. It looks good on you."
"Thank you. I got it at Iris's place just now. And your equipment has changed too... Oh?"
As I approached, I had noticed that Jigorou and Genjuro had updated their equipment as well. Jigorou was outfitted in a full set of armor made from Green Wind Wolf fur. He also had spiked shoulder guards, elbow guards, leg guards, and the like that appeared to have been made from processed Tarask materials.
His waist was still wrapped in a tiger-skin loincloth secured with the belt he had received from Agnas Relim-sama, the same equipment as before. That belt was a reward from the 'Trial of the Azure Moon,' so there was no need to replace it. Seeing Jigorou, now with upgraded armor, go on a rampage was something I looked forward to with equal parts anticipation and dread.
Since Genjuro deemed ordinary armor unnecessary thanks to his exoskeleton, his updated equipment consisted of accessories. His bracelets, anklets, and belt had all been replaced with ones made from Green Wind Wolf and Tarask materials. Tarask equipment granted 【Fire Resistance】, so it was perfect for him, given that fire was his weakness. More important was...
"Genjuro... have you evolved, by any chance?"
"Ho ho! You noticed!"
Damn! His appearance had changed in subtle ways, so I had suspected as much, but he had evolved before I did during the two days I was away. While I had been devoting myself to raising 【Talisman Arts】, Genjuro had focused on combat, and apparently his level had surpassed mine.
That was a little frustrating. The difference in how long we could stay logged in was significant, after all. But more than that, I was curious about what Race he had evolved into.
"You're curious what I became, aren't you? Take a guess!"
"Hmm..."
I carefully observed Genjuro's appearance. Besides his exoskeleton having become even blacker, its shape had changed slightly as well. It resembled armor—specifically, a hybrid of Western armor and ō-yoroi. In short, it called to mind Japan's tosei gusoku.
"No, I can't figure it out. Tell me."
"A Samurai Insect Beetle!"
A Samurai Insect Beetle, huh? What a powerful-sounding Race! Genjuro also looked somewhat proud, so it was probably genuinely strong.
"What sort of characteristics does that Race have?"
"Well, several types of weapon use receive substantial bonuses, it seems. In exchange, you'll apparently become completely unsuited to magic. It's not as though you can't use it, though."
So this was what they meant by a samurai being versed in all the martial arts? In exchange for becoming a weapons specialist, the Race's aptitude for magic must have fallen. Perhaps one day, Genjuro's Skill list would be filled with a huge number of weapon Skills, just like mine was filled with magic.
"I see. And I heard you're having trouble clearing the 'Ancient Ruined City'?"
"Oh, that!"
"It's all because of those disgusting birds..."
After that, Genjuro and Jigorou ruefully told me about what had happened. Apparently, they had reached the 'Ancient Ruined City,' located west of Birdy Perch, without any trouble. However, the moment they arrived at the ruined city, they were subjected to its baptism.
"Those damn birds seem to have claimed the entire ruined city as their territory. The moment we crossed the city wall, they started raining magic down on us from the sky. I couldn't believe it..."
"At the time, it was just Jigorou, Cal, and me, so our means of dealing with aerial enemies were extremely limited. Cal was able to fight advantageously in the air, but..."
"There were just too damn many of them..."
"Grrrrrrr..."
Perhaps remembering what had happened, Cal let out a feeble rumble in his throat. Somehow, an air of melancholy seemed to hang around him.
"We've gone there now and then since, but all we've been able to do is sneak into buildings and play at being petty thieves."
"I see."
Apparently, Harpies could use magic. The mountain where the Ancient Moving Tower was located was also primarily inhabited by bird enemies, but those birds had only used physical attacks such as 【Claws】 and 【Beaks】. This time, however, the opponents apparently used long-range magic attacks from the air—a particularly troublesome method.
Enemies that never descended to the ground and simply fired magic from the sky. They were the natural enemies of Jigorou and Genjuro. Even when fighting Cal, they apparently kept their distance and attacked only with magic, making them extremely troublesome opponents. It made perfect sense that their exploration had made no progress.
"But with Izam here, we can rest easy."
"That's a lot of responsibility."
Apparently, I was the key to breaking the stalemate. They must have considered me indispensable to clearing the area because I specialized in long-range attacks using a wide variety of magic.
I was still worried about whether I could live up to their expectations, but exploring an unknown area sounded fun. More than anything, I was interested in Harpy materials. Well then, I suppose I'll do my best as always!