The new “Ultimate Technique” Genjuro used, known as “Absolute Blade”, allowed for a dramatic enhancement of any sword he wielded, but only for a span of ten seconds. The intended use of this power was to perform martial techniques while it was active, thereby achieving power on par with other attack-type “Ultimate Techniques”. It was a unique “Ultimate Technique” that elevated ordinary martial techniques to the level of “Ultimate Techniques”.
However, in the hands of a master like Genjuro, even regular attacks during the activation of “Absolute Blade” could reach the power equivalent of “Ultimate Techniques”. This was a trick only possible due to the relentless training and skill of a true swordsman.
“…. Good grief, this battle has taken its toll on my old bones.”
Even though he had just cut his opponent in two, Genjuro maintained his stance and made sure that Saburo was indeed incapacitated before finally lowering his Odachi. Turning to his companions, he saw the baboon group in a state of panic, scrambling away after losing their leader. There were many close calls throughout the battle but he seemed to have won.
“Genjuro-san, you’re all beaten up! Are you alright?”
“Umu. He was quite the formidable opponent. Clearly a cut above the rest.”
While responding to Seventh Armor’s concern, Genjurp took a potion from his belt holder. Although what remained was merely the journey home, most of his exoskeleton was damaged and its defense power was decreased. It was safer to have as much strength as possible for the return.
“The old man is having a tough time… this adds to the excitement,” Jigoro said.
“Big brother always stays focused,” Genjuro remarked.
Following Seventh Armor, Jigoro and Sei also joined the group. While they weren’t as severely injured as Genjuro, all of them had sustained considerable damage. Another encounter with a group of similar size would certainly result in at least two of them not making it back alive. Continuing their patrol under these circumstances would be equivalent to a suicide mission.
Furthermore, having defeated numerous baboons and even managed to gather some information during the battle, the patrol could be deemed a success. Since the conditions for the quest were sufficiently met, Genjuro decided it was time to conclude the investigation as planned.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
“Lady Iris, the parts necessary for the assembly of B-3 have been completed.”
“Thank you, Towa-san. Everyone, please make sure to prioritize safety and avoid injuries during the assembly!”
“””Understood!”””
At the drydock within the “Dragon’s Sanctuary” Iris was working on assembling the unfinished parts of the floating battleship alongside the female Dragonewts. The reason why there were no men was that their main duty was taking care of the young dragon pups.
The term “taking care” encompassed a wide range of things, such as procuring food and giving instructions on how to fight among other things. Despite being recognized by the dragon god Armadelux, the Dragonewts could not neglect the dragons they served. Therefore, the task of household chores fell to the women among them, who were adept at managing their own homes.
In the workshop within the drydock, all the equipment needed to process parts for the battleship was available. They used this equipment to create the missing parts. Since they were not designing from scratch or building the machinery themselves, they could manage even with a lack of skill levels in certain areas. No matter how skilled Iris was at making stuff, it was impossible for her to assemble a flying ship easily.
Furthermore, the battleship’s AI provided information on which parts were missing and how many were needed. As a result, the work progressed smoothly without creating any excess or defective products.
“Lady Iris, we are running low on the metal stock for the parts. Please be mindful of that.”
“Is that so… Okay. Let’s call it a day once we finish the current task.”
“””Alright!”””
However, since the assembly was progressing too smoothly, the supply of junk parts used as raw materials couldn’t keep up. Isam was also trying hard to keep up, but they inevitably had to pause the work. This was an issue they simply couldn’t resolve.
Iris along with the Dragonewts busied themselves operating assembly machinery and welding armor. Even though they were using a high-temperature burner for welding, Iris sustained no damage as she had already overcome her [Fire Weakness]. And she meticulously completed various tasks simultaneously with her various tentacles. The assembly work, which seemed to have just begun, was finished in less than five minutes.
“That wraps it up. Thank you for your hard work, everyone!”
“”””Thank you for your hard work everyone!””””
After exchanging words of gratitude with the Dragonewts, Iris made her way to the workshop inside the battleship. This space housed her multipurpose workbench and alchemical tools brought from her old hideout, which were slowly becoming the personal belongings of Shiitake. It was becoming a fortress for the two main producers of the “Nightwalkers” guild.
When Iris opened the door with a whoosh, the smell of chemicals pervading the room hit her. Iris, whose frowning face had disappeared, spoke to Shiitake, who was still absorbed in her work even though she had entered the room.
“Shiitake-san, have you finished the new potion?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s Iris-chan!”
Iris couldn’t help but smile bitterly at Shiitake, who apparently didn’t notice her at all until she talked to her. Oblivious to her reaction, Shiitake began to excitedly share her research findings.
“Listen to this! I’ve just finished it, but when you use herbs from the Vetus Floating Island together with herbs from the Aquaria Islands, the effect remains the same, but the color turns yellow! How weird is that, huh?”
Shiitake giggled as she shook a flask containing a yellow potion. She was in charge of producing the potions that Isam and the others used in their explorations, but once she had secured the quantities they needed, she spent the rest of her time creating new types of items.
Led by Isam, the guild members who were mainly focused on combat and exploration, provided surplus materials out of appreciation for the potions being made. With an abundance of materials at her disposal, Shiitake indulged in crafting items to her heart’s content.
“Also, I’ve finished the item for the production event!”
“Really? May I see it?”
“Of course, of course~~”
The first item Shiitake presented was more of a joke potion, but Iris couldn’t help but be intrigued when it was mentioned as an item for the production event. Although Shiitake initially said she would just be making items for fun, she had recently been focusing on creating practical throwable items.
This change was sparked by the battle with McFarlane. As a production player, she was aware that she was below third-rate in terms of strength. Moreover, she was surrounded by some of the most skilled players in the game and wanted to ensure she wasn’t a burden.
To fulfill her desire, she considered how to improve her limited fighting skills. Her only viable means of attack were magic and [Throwing] skills. However, due to her role as a producer, her magic lacked power, and her [Throwing] skill was a skill that could only be used effectively with the help of real martial arts or system corrections. Shiitake’s lack of physical coordination in real life affected the performance of her game avatar, unlike Jigoro and Genjuro whose real-world athleticism translated into great power in this virtual world
Shiitake’s solution was to prepare high-quality items in advance. Since hitting targets with the [Throwing] Skill was manageable, she decided to enhance the performance of the items she would throw.
Shiitake presented a glass bottle typically used for potions. The bottle itself was ordinary, but its contents were extraordinary. It was filled with a vile liquid with a black and blue marble pattern that evoked visceral disgust.
“Can I use [Appraisal] on it?”
“Of course! It’s my pride and joy!”
With permission granted, Iris quickly used [Appraisal] to uncover the nature of this potion-like substance. The results were as follows:
――――――――――
Samukowa-kun Quality: Superior Rarity: S-Special
A mysterious liquid created by an alchemist wanderer.
Contact with the liquid inflicts water element damage and induces a state of fear.
The method of its creation is kept secret, but there is no doubt that it is an unusual method.
――――――――――
“Co-Could it be, did Shiitake-san name this item?”
“Yeah, I did~~. Cute name, isn’t it?”
When Iris hesitantly asked her, Shiitake answered immediately, as if it were a matter of course. And Iris felt a strong sense of envy.
The naming of items was typically determined by the system. For example, the “Tarrasque Robe” of Isam would be named the same regardless of the creator if it was made from the materials of the Tarasque monster. While an [Appraisal] could reveal the nuances of craftsmanship and the identity of the creator, that was the extent of it.
However, players could also name their creations. The first people to notice this were players who mainly created clothes, and it seems that this phenomenon occurred when they completed a piece with an innovative design.
Through various tests, it was found that items of high originality could be named. They had to feature unprecedented designs or functionalities.
Creating practical items with new materials or designs was exceedingly difficult. And so, a more feasible approach existed. This was to decorate and engrave items with additional effects through skills like [Engraving] or [Woodworking].
If one managed to create a truly unique item through this method, naming it would be possible. However, this required a keen sense of decoration and high skill levels in each skill. So it was still a feat achievable only by experienced craftsmen.
Either way, it was extremely difficult to create a unique work that could be named. Therefore, creating works that could be named has become one of the goals of many production players.
“I created it by boiling materials gathered from the ‘Black Death Ice Forest’ in a black flame.”
“With such a method… In your case, Shiitake-san, it was because you created a new item that you were able to name it. I’m envious…”
“No, no, it was just something that happened by chance while I was doing as I pleased. By the way, Iris-chan, have you completed the item you’re planning to submit?”
“Not yet, actually. I’ve made a prototype, but…”
“Does that mean the performance is not satisfactory?”
At Shiitake’s inquiry, Iris nodded her head and her tentacles drooped. She was attempting to submit a weapon, but despite various trials, it hadn’t reached the performance level she envisioned. She was stuck without a solution to improve it.
“You’re aiming for a ‘weapon that can use multiple elements’, right? That’s quite ambitious.”
“But I believe it’s theoretically possible! The dragon materials from the forest should have that much potential!”
Iris was trying to craft a weapon using the abundance of Dragon fangs and bones amassed during their conquest of the “Black Death Ice Forest”. The fangs were from the Spartois, and the bones were from the False Bone Dragons.
However, as the “False” moniker suggests, the bones making up the False Bone Dragon included those from creatures other than dragons, with actual dragon bones being rare. Therefore, she decided to reserve the bones for crafting weapons for her companions and to submit a weapon made from the fangs instead.
The dragon fangs, now brittle and devoid of their elemental properties due to the ravages of time, still held promise as weapon material. Thanks to [Alchemy], their lost durability could be restored, making them perfect for crafting weapons. Furthermore, by merging them with enchanted magic stones, it was possible to imbue the weapons with elemental attributes.
But Iris aimed for something beyond that. She believed that if a material could adopt any element, it could potentially be used to create a weapon capable of wielding multiple elements at the same time. Her idea was brilliant, but the path ahead was fraught with difficulties.
“Applying two elements is somewhat manageable. But conflicting elements are a no-go, and anything beyond three just doesn’t work…”
That was the limit. Despite various attempts, it was impossible to imbue a weapon with both fire and water elements at the same time, nor could it hold more than three elements. A test with water, wind, and their composite, lightning, yielded some success, but only the lightning attribute remained.
It seemed that the magic stone of a composite element could be used alongside its base elements, but only the composite element would remain. This was also the case with other composite elements, making the dream of a weapon with all-encompassing elements difficult to achieve.
“It might be less about my lack of skill and more about the wrong approach… but I have no clue what else to try.”
“Don’t worry! Iris-chan, you can surely figure it out. After all, you’re capable of creating such convenient items!”
Shiitake wasn’t trying to comfort her but said it as a matter of course. The object she pointed to was a magical tool resembling an alcohol lamp that was crafted by Iris and placed beneath a beaker.
Though it was small, this tool was a marvel capable of adjusting its flame intensity, and Shiitake had expressed a desire to use it for her experiments. Iris had immediately created it upon request. For Iris, it was a simple task, but Shiitake was amazed by her dexterity. She was convinced that Iris could certainly complete her ambitious project.
“A magical tool…? Yes, that’s it! A magical tool!”
“Oooh! Did you just get an idea?”
“Yes! I can’t just sit around! I’ll finish it in one go!”
Perhaps the conversation with Shiitake gave her a hint as Iris suddenly became energetic and immediately got to work. Shiitake watched eagerly, excited to see what Iris would come up with next.
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