“It’s heeeeeere!”
“Hiiiii!?”
Due to my sudden loud shout, Iris was startled and jumped up, but I didn’t care at all! Finally, I had overcome my worst weakness, the Light element!
“Fufufufufu, hahahaha, ah-hahahaha!”
“Uh, um…?”
Phew… I calmed down. Now, let’s check. The words [Light Weakness] have disappeared from my status window! And the title I obtained is ‘Darkness Beyond Light’s Reach’. What kind of effect does it have?
――――――――――
“Darkness Beyond Light’s Reach”
A title bestowed upon those who have overcome their weakness toward light.
Those who acquire this title will be feared by those who wield light and earn the respect of the Dark Kin.
Requirement: Reduce the level of [Light Weakness] to 0.
――――――――――
The specific effects seem to be almost nonexistent. However, I wasn’t disappointed at all! On the contrary, I was ecstatic! Finally, finally, I could now venture outside during the daytime!
And with the removal of the Light element as my weakness, I gained the ability to use [Light Magic]! In a way, this could be considered the greatest blessing. It meant that I could now bestow resistance to light and imbue weapons with light magic through [Enchantment].
Resistance, in particular, would be crucial. While I had rarely encountered enemies who employed the Light element before, I knew I would inevitably come across them as I progressed.
But wait, the required SP is… 10?! Ridiculous! Obtaining each elemental magic used to cost a fixed amount of 1 SP. So why on earth is the cost so hefty now?!
Could it be that acquiring a skill that you couldn’t originally use or wasn’t inclined towards, like when I acquired [Scythe Mastery] increases the SP requirement? Are they trying to say, “Don’t you dare use the Light element, you undead monster”?
Hmph! Unfortunately for them, I have an abundance of SP. I won’t hesitate to use them generously in my pursuit of mastering magic. So, here we go; a simple tap should do it.
――――――――――
You have acquired the [Light Magic] skill by consuming 10 SP.
――――――――――
Mufu. Mufufufufu! The shining words of [Light Magic] in my status window are simply delightful! Since I just acquired it, the level is 0, but I’ll use it vigorously to improve and level it up.
Luckily, starting tomorrow, we’ll head north from Firth City, where there is nothing but pesky goblins. Those weak little creatures will make perfect targets for testing out my newfound magic skills and also serve as a way to earn proficiency. Killing two birds with one stone, you could say. I can’t stop laughing!
“Kuku, fufufufufu!!”
“U-Um, Isam? What’s going on?”
Ah, I completely forgot that Iris was here. It would be creepy to shout and laugh like that while working. I could clearly sense her fear as she timidly asked me that.
“Let me show you something, Iris. Light Ball.”
I created a radiant sphere of light in the palm of my hand. Upon seeing it, Iris seemed to understand everything, and her tentacles wriggled with excitement. It appeared that she was delighted by this development.
“Wow! Congratulations! Being able to use [Light Magic] means you’ve finally overcome your weakness toward the Light element!”
“Yeah, it took some time, but I managed to pull it off. Now I can finally wander around during the daytime.”
“Then let’s inform everyone! We can go to the location on the map tomorrow!”
“That’s right. So today, I’ll make potions until I feel sleepy.”
I and Iris informed the other three about the disappearance of my [Light Weakness]. We received messages of congratulations from everyone, but the last sentence in Jigoro’s message troubled my mind. It said…
“So, what about your “Blunt Attack Weakness”?”
That’s the one. Until now, I had been thinking, “If someone gets close, it’s all over, but it doesn’t really matter”. But now that the greatest obstacle to overcome has been eliminated, I want to conquer this weakness too. I guess greed has taken hold of me.
But is there any way to do it? Should I disband the party temporarily and ask Jigoro to punch me? All I could see was a future where I was instantly killed with a single blow. Despite my intimidating appearance, I am the weakest member of the party, after all.
“Hmm…”
“What’s wrong? Finally, we can be active during the daytime.”
“Well, actually…”
I told Iris about the observation Jigor made in his message. Upon hearing it, Iris intertwined her tentacles together and seemed to be pondering something. Could she have come up with a brilliant idea?
“Maybe… the prototype of the magic tool I made a while ago could be useful.”
“A magic tool, huh?”
Indeed, my [Light Weakness] was overcome by continuously using a magic tool—the magic lamp. Therefore, it made sense that a similar thing could be achieved with the magic tool Iris had created.
“You mentioned a prototype, but what kind of magic tool is it?” I asked.
“Well, just wait a moment,”
Saying that, she returned to her room. I assumed that was where the prototype she mentioned was stored.
I knew that Iris had spent almost all of her time outside of adventures experimenting and creating various things. That’s why she, and only she, as the creator, had a complete understanding of what she had made and what its capabilities were.
To be honest, I felt a mix of excitement and fear about what would come out. The time waiting for Iris to return somehow felt unusually long.
“Here it is.”
Time perception aside, Iris returned holding a rather large item wrapped in her tentacles. It was about the size of an arm. Could this item be used to overcome my [Blunt Attack Weakness]?
“Is that… a fan, by any chance?”
――――――――――
Prototype Fan – Quality: Good, Rarity: R (Rare Class)
A prototype magic tool that uses magic stones as an energy source to rotate its blades and generate wind.
The intensity of the wind can be adjusted in three levels using buttons.
Due to the use of porcelain and wood materials, it is very heavy.
――――――――――
What Iris brought out was undoubtedly a fan. It was the type with rotating blades that generated wind, just as stated in the [Appraisal] results. There was no doubt about it.
However, unlike the plastic fans in the real world, it appeared to be made of porcelain and wood as the primary materials. So, it seemed very heavy.
Nevertheless, in terms of appearance, it was exactly like the familiar fans I knew. It even had buttons labeled “Low”, “Medium”, and “High” for adjusting the wind strength. H-how am I supposed to use this?
“Yes, that’s right! First, remove the cover… and attach this…”
Iris swiftly began dismantling the fan. Well, she was the creator, so it was only natural. She removed the cover that encased the blades and tied a rope around the section where the blades were housed.
“And then… like this… it’s complete!”
And when she tied a polished stone to the end of the rope in a spherical shape, it was complete. Ah, I see now. I finally understood her intention.
“So, the idea is to rotate this and have it strike me?” I asked.
“That’s correct. It has only three levels, but you can adjust the strength with the buttons, so you can stop it at just the right point,” Iris explained.
It seemed worth a try. At the very least, it was hundreds of times better than being punched by Jigoro.
“Well then, let’s give it a try right away. Let’s start with ‘Low’.”
I stood next to the fan and pressed the ‘Low’ button using my staff. The fan started operating smoothly, and the rope with the attached stone began to rotate with force.
Konkonkonkonko…
The stone struck my body, creating a satisfying sound. It felt as if I had become a musical instrument myself. However…
“This seems too weak,”
“Yes, I think so too,” Iris agreed.
It appeared that ‘Low’ wasn’t capable of inflicting any damage on me. To overcome the weakness of [XX Weakness], one needed to actually experience damage to that attribute. Therefore, if even the slightest damage was absent, it would be meaningless.
“Alright then, let’s try ‘Medium’ next.”
If that was the case, I should raise the level by one step. This time, I pressed the ‘Medium’ button on the fan. Now, what would happen?
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang…
Hmm. Apart from the fact that the sound produced by me and the stone was higher than before, nothing else seemed to have changed. The rotational speed had indeed increased, but I still did not receive any damage.
“It seems ineffective even at this level.”
“Ahh, you’re right. Perhaps it’s simply impossible to produce blunt damage with this.”
Even though this prototype fan created by Iris was a magical tool, it wasn’t originally designed as a weapon. Therefore, there was a possibility that even with some minor modifications, it wouldn’t be capable of inflicting damage.
“Hmm, I thought we could make it work by imitating the idea of the light leaking from the lamp…..”
“Well, that was quite a clever trick. But for now, let’s give ‘High’ a try, just in case,”
With that in mind, I pressed the button.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!!
“Wha-Whoaaa!?”
Oh no, oh no, oh no!!! My health was rapidly depleting! I felt like I was on the verge of death! Stop! Stop it immediately!
“I-I thought I was a goner…!”
In an instant, my health dropped below half! I was taking an absurd amount of damage!
And who the hell was that idiot who claimed that a magic tool couldn’t deliver blunt damage? Right, It was me… What a damn moron!
“…It seems that the damage calculation is triggered once a certain speed is exceeded.”
“…Seems like it.”
Upon hearing Iris’s calm analysis, I finally regained my composure. Since the stone itself hadn’t changed, it seemed that the speed was indeed a crucial factor.
While changing the objects attached might yield different results, I didn’t expect my [Blunt Attack Weakness] to be this severe. I needed to overcome it as quickly as possible.
“As soon as my health recovers, we should try various combinations. There might be a perfect match where the natural recovery rate balances out with the inflicted damage,”
“Yes, that sounds like a plan. I understand. I’ll gather objects that seem capable of delivering blunt damage,” Iris agreed.
It was crucial to experiment and iterate. Let’s search for the perfect combination, then.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
“Guoooo!!”
Well, here we go again! Is this another dead end? I tried every possible combination I could think of, but they all either resulted in zero damage or brought me to the brink of death in an instant. It’s just too extreme!
Leaving it alone was not an option either. Even with the combination that inflicted the least amount of damage, I almost ended up dead within a minute.
“Well, it’s not that easy, is it?”
“Actually, it’s quite miraculous that you were able to overcome the [Light Weakness] so easily with the magic lamp. It would be strange if overcoming a weakness was that simple.”
Iris might be right. Maybe it was just a smooth ride overcoming the [Light Weakness]. It was probably a miracle that all the elements fell into place perfectly.
“And to think that there was no announcement that it decreased even though I was close to dying…”
“This really shows how effective it was to have the lamp do its work while logged out.”
During my trial and error, I came close to death numerous times. Each time, I waited for full recovery, but still, the [Blunt Attack Weakness] remained unchanged.
It seems that receiving continuous, tiny damage while logged out is more efficient than taking massive damage in a short amount of time. Surely, the total amount of damage received from the weakness attribute attacks is the key to alleviating the weakness.
“In any case, let’s consider it a valuable discovery that it has become evident that we can’t continue as we are. I don’t want to think that all the work we’ve done so far was in vain.”
“Yes, indeed. I believe we have obtained valuable data for creating tools to overcome that weakness.”
I had been ecstatic about overcoming the [Light Weakness], but now I felt a reality check as the barrier of the [Blunt Attack Weakness] turned out to be higher than expected. Iris seemed willing to create more magic tools to overcome it, but it wouldn’t be fair to leave everything to her.
Is there no other way? I pondered this question continuously while working in the workshop with [Alchemy] until my friends who had gone outside returned.
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