"If you like this old, worn-out looking armor so much, why don’t YOU wear it?!"
"After all the trouble of preparing it, you’re throwing a fit? Oh, I’ll wear it!"
I genuinely approached the bone armor, intending to try it on, but hesitated and stopped.
’It certainly is old armor...’
It was genuine armor that had been kept for hundreds of years. Kellibey had diligently maintained it, but the aged feeling couldn’t be eradicated.
It even seemed to emit a musty odor. No wonder Evangeline feels disappointed.
"But! Don’t you know about the ancient legends? The ancient legends!"
In a fantasy world like this, older items usually have stronger magical powers! It’s a deeply rooted tradition here. Just try it on first! The performance will be superb!
"Ugh. I had high hopes. I really did."
Evangeline collapsed on the floor, sobbing and wailing. I awkwardly cleared my throat.
Sorry, but there’s no way to obtain your final armor, [Snow White], until the second year.
Because it truly is beautiful, please just wait a little longer...
"Tsk tsk. I knew it’d come to this."
While we were like this, Kellibey, who had been shaking his head from the back, brought something else from inside the blacksmith shop.
"Here, I made this helmet and cloak as a complimentary service. Try them on."
With Kellibey, Hannibal, Lucas, and me all helping, we got the sobbing Evangeline dressed in the armor.
"Ugh... *sniffle*."
Evangeline swallowed her tears and looked in the mirror.
The menacing appearance of the genuine armor was now partially hidden by the deep-red scale cloak that Kellibey added.
The helmet was made from dragon bone, with a wide white jaw that protected Evangeline’s small face.
Long red scales hung as decoration from the back of the helmet.
If made improperly, it might have looked grotesque and fierce, but the helmet, having passed through the hands of the elder dwarf blacksmith, had an air of vintage beauty.
Evangeline’s eyes widened as she twirled in front of the mirror. Kellibey smirked.
"It’s a helmet and cloak made from the bone and scales of the red dragon sub-species, the same material as the genuine armor. How is it? Looks better now, right?"
Even though it was the same material, the helmet and cloak looked quite impressive. It really depends on the craftsman. I nodded in agreement.
"As expected, a full set of armor makes it look more legitimate."
Lucas and Kuilan chimed in from the side.
"It looks good."
"It’s stylish, right?"
"*sniffle*."
While still sniffling, Evangeline continued to twist and turn in front of the mirror, examining the armor’s look.
Even though it was the same bone armor, the freshly white new shoulder armor and helmet added to it gave it a cohesive look.
It wasn’t just lip service; it genuinely looked like a decent set.
Evangeline, peeking through her helmet, rolled her round eyes.
"Is it really okay...?"
"Yeah! It looks totally cool! Everyone agrees, right?"
As I sharply looked around, everyone hurriedly nodded in agreement.
"Now, let’s give a round of applause to the blacksmith who prepared this fantastic set for us!"
As I aimed my arrow, Kellibey looked taken aback. However, when my party members began clapping in unison, his face soon beamed with satisfaction. ’This old man is so simple-minded.’
"Hmm... Well... it doesn’t seem too bad..."
Evangeline pouted her small lips. Whew, I somehow managed to impress her.
"And that’s not all! Kellibey!"
"Huh? What now?"
"There’s a high-level request only a master blacksmith like you can fulfill!"
I snatched Evangeline’s spear and shield and slammed them onto the workbench.
Evangeline seemed startled, but Kellibey, stroking his beard, grinned as if he had been waiting for this.
"I’ve been waiting for this. You’re finally letting me handle these pieces of equipment."
From the moment he first saw them, Kellibey had been eyeing these two pieces of equipment.
[Cross Family’s Spear (SR)] and [Cross Family’s Shield (SR)].
They were Evangeline’s unique equipment that unleashed her special skill, [Crossroad].
Although she acquired the unique skill, the equipment hadn’t truly unlocked its full potential.
Still, because of the excellent unique skill and the equipment’s durability, she kept using them. But, they were now tattered from countless fierce battles.
Coincidentally, Evangeline had reached level 50 and had awakened.
It was the perfect time to upgrade her unique equipment.
Kellibey ventured further into his workshop and returned with two blank magic scrolls.
"To upgrade a unique equipment, you need the mark of the awakened. It’s to form a soul bond between the user and the equipment."
True to his title as a master blacksmith, Kellibey explained with an air of expertise.
"So, where is your awakening mark, my lady?"
"Huh? Well, um..."
The location of the awakening mark was a matter of privacy, but before I could ask her to show it in private, Evangeline hurriedly answered.
"It’s... um... on my belly button."
I see...
Her belly button...
Suddenly, I recalled Evangeline’s soft stomach from our time at the dungeon hot spring. Hmm...
In a changing room inside the workshop, Evangeline imprinted her mark, or rather her belly button, onto the magic scroll.
Grasping the scroll, Kellibey studied the spear and shield on the workbench and rubbed his hands together.
"This is going to be a significant undertaking. Heh heh. I’m afraid I’ll have to halt other orders. I want to focus solely on this equipment."
Oh, so we can only request one unique equipment at a time? I wanted to entrust Lucas’s unique equipment as well.
Reminded of this, I turned to Lucas.
"Hey, Lucas. You still have the hilt of the sword you first used, right?"
"Huh?"
"I mean the hilt of [Bestowed Sword]. You have it, don’t you?"
In the game, Lucas, the protagonist, has had the unique equipment [Bestowed Sword] from the beginning.
But it’s unusable. The blade had vanished, leaving only the hilt, and it had occupied a corner of the inventory since then.
It would only reveal its true worth after receiving a unique equipment upgrade.
Anyway, since it was an ’undiscardable item’ in the game, he should have it, I assumed.
"Ugh...!"
Lucas’s face paled for some reason, and he lowered his gaze, flustered.
"I... I don’t have it right now... I’ll, I’ll look for it."
"Huh? Oh, alright. Make sure you find it."
"Yes, my lord."
Since Kellibey was focusing on Evangeline’s equipment upgrade for the time being, I decided to deal with Lucas later.
Kellibey and Hannibal picked up the Cross family’s spear and shield and retreated further into the workshop.
Evangeline, gazing at her now empty hands, cautiously asked me, "So, what weapon and shield do I use in the meantime?"
"I knew you’d ask, so I prepared another set of backup equipment for you!"
I proudly unveiled two more pieces of equipment I had kept under cloth. And voila!
"Ta-da! Bone Lance and Bone Shield!"
They were SR-grade bone spear and bone shield...
"I hate itttttttttt-!"
Evangeline raised her hands to her cheeks and screamed in exasperation. Hey! They’re high-performance gear, okay?!
***
We used the teleportation gate to travel to [Lakeside Wharf], right beside the Black Lake. After loading the stack of teleportation stones into a cart we had stationed at the wharf beforehand, we journeyed north across the shimmering Black Lake.
The road was treacherous. Monsters had frequently trampled on it, making it a mess.
The cart shook violently and almost toppled over at times.
I managed to hold back my nausea. Once the teleportation gate was set up at the forward base, there would be no need to travel this path again.
After a few hours, the ruins of a small fortress came into view.
The forward base.
The battlefield where we faced the Black Spider Army and went through the tutorial stage.
The place where we lost countless soldiers, where Ken died, where Lilly became disabled.
And... where we killed Orlop, annihilated the entire Black Spider Army, and survived.
"..."
Mixed emotions surged within me. Quite some time had passed since that intense battle.
"Whew! Now it’ll be easier to come here," said Kuilan, placing the teleportation gate stones down in the forward base’s courtyard.
The interior was surprisingly well-organized. It appeared that the Penal Squad had tidied up while staying at the base camp.
"Let’s install the gate... right here."
I set up the teleportation gate in a spacious corner of the base’s central courtyard. Upon activation, a system window appeared before me.
[Teleportation Gate]
- A new location has been added.
> Forward Base Courtyard (New!)
Having the freedom to install a teleportation gate wherever I pleased was something unthinkable in the game.
But in this reality, I could exploit such strategies.
’This is just the beginning.’
By twisting and using every rule at my disposal, I was determined to reach the world after the clear.
Reaffirming my inner resolve, I looked around at my companions.
"Now, we can easily transport supplies and workers to and from here."
With a round of applause, I grinned widely.
"Let’s officially start restoring the forward base!"
***
Since it was already late, we returned to Crossroad.
After feeding everyone a hearty meal and letting them rest, I embarked on a cart heading back to the city.
My destination was the Craftsmen’s Guild Workshop. I planned to hold a meeting with all the guild leaders.
While pondering the future course, I fiddled with the new equipment in my hand.
I had bought a total of 11 items from Nameless. I had distributed 10 of them among the members, and the remaining one was this.
A magic gun with an old-fashioned appearance. I twirled the gun in my hand, inspecting its specs.
[Agate (SSR) Lv.35]
- Type: Magic Gun
- Attack: 35-50
- Durability: 3/3
- Ammo: 3/3
- Leaves a mark on the target hit by a bullet. When allies attack a marked enemy, they deal extra damage.
- If the bullet hits an enemy within 3 meters of the user, it pushes them back 3 meters.
During the last stage, when I struggled against the werewolves, I felt the need to enhance my combat capabilities.
So, while shopping for equipment from Nameless, I grabbed this as soon as I saw it.
It can mark a target for concentrated attacks and even knock back enemies who get too close. The damage output might be slightly lacking, but it’s adequate for self-defense.
’Also, there are three other items from the loot boxes.’
One SSR-grade reward box and two SR-grade reward boxes from clearing stage 10.
When I opened them last night, I found these items:
[Rewards]
- Magic Armor (SSR)
- Suppressing Talisman (SR)
- Blazing Pendant (SR)
Magic Armor that converts a user’s magic into a protective barrier, a Suppressing Talisman that provides bonuses when casting CC (Crowd Control) skills, and a Blazing Pendant that gives a bonus to fire and explosive attacks.
’These items seem to perfectly fit the Shadow Squad.’
For Godhand, a mage who often engages in melee, the armor; for Bodybag who binds enemies with telekinesis, the talisman; and for Burnout, the explosive archer, the pendant. The equipment matched each member perfectly.
’While attending the guild leaders’ meeting, I should also meet the Shadow Squad and hand these items over.’
The Shadow Squad was currently stationed at the Alchemy Workshop.
Apparently, Godhand’s prosthetic hand had accumulated wear and tear from extended use and needed repairs.
They’d worked hard for the Shadow Squad. And they’d keep working hard. They deserved good equipment.
Lost in such thoughts, I soon arrived at the Alchemy Workshop.
’Huh.’
I spotted Lilly and Godhand, seated side by side on a bench at the workshop’s entrance. They held hands and whispered to each other. They were quite openly dating now. Life seemed good for them, huh?
Still, since I secretly supported their relationship, I decided to wait for a while. They seemed to be having a sweet moment, and I didn’t want to ruin it.
But their affections seemed endless, as they got closer and closer, their flushed faces inching toward a kiss.
Feeling a bit nauseous and my eyes burning with embarrassment, I impulsively leaned out of the cart and shouted, "Hey! Keep it decent in public!"
"Eek?!"
"Ah! My lord?!"
Startled by my outburst, Lilly and Godhand quickly separated and, flustered, greeted me. I gritted my teeth.
You two! While your lord is deeply engrossed in thoughts for the city’s future, you’re passionately romancing?!
... Well, romance could be the most constructive and productive of all pursuits! Right?!
--TL Notes--
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