"Maybe it's because it was made using the boss's LA material... or maybe not?"
"Of course not! Are you seriously saying that after looking at this sword's stats?!"
Kirito instantly cut in at my puzzled tilt of the head.
"The rapier Asuna pulled is around a fifth- or sixth-floor class weapon, but Kazuha's weapon looks like a tenth-floor class weapon even at a glance. Sure, the level requirement is 16, but that means by the next floor—no, even here, if we push a little and grind levels, she could equip it. Honestly, the equip restriction is absurdly low for its performance. If I had to rank this thing..."
"Then it's a Unique grade, one step above Rare?"
"Yeah... huh? Why do you sound like you already knew that?"
"Ever since the blacksmith handed it to Kazuha instead of me."
"Seriously... Well, I'm glad Kazuha's combat power shot way up, but that creates another problem."
"? You mean more people are going to start targeting Kazuha?"
"That too, but we can deal with that by hiding what it is until she reaches the proper level. And Kazuha would obviously be better off using something like a katana anyway. The real problem is, if that blacksmith can mass-produce weapons on the same level as Asuna's..."
"...Ah. You mean power inflation."
"Exactly. Ever since the official version opened up, even just on the Second Floor, there've already been huge variables. But those were all changes centered on monsters. In this case, wouldn't the operators step in?"
"That does make sense... Then why not just ask the blacksmith? Ask if he can normally make weapons at this level."
"That's way too blunt... And even if he's an NPC, that's still pretty cold, Kazuma."
"Yeah, I'm not sure what to say to that either, Kazuma."
Even Asuna, who had been quietly listening, gave a wry smile like she thought I was being a bit much. But since I'd be the one asking, and I didn't think I was being cold at all...
As I turned my head toward the blacksmith, I suddenly let out a dazed sound.
"....................? Huh?"
Far in the distance—assuming my eyes weren't playing tricks on me—I saw a symbol floating above the blacksmith's head. And that shape was unmistakably...
'...Elia, that's...'
'Just from looking at it, this doesn't seem like the normal route.'
It was the exclamation mark that signaled the start of a quest.
*
When people talk about RPGs, anyone who knows the genre even a little usually points to one major element: story.
What kind of world is this? What history and culture does it have? That kind of thing deepens immersion, and it also helps players distinguish friend from foe.
And the tool the developers use to make players understand that "story" through requests and rewards is the quest.
Starting with main quests, which are deeply tied to the story itself, then side quests, which may not be directly connected but still help with certain elements, or reveal information about the people of the world, or just fill in miscellaneous details.
Beyond that, there are daily quests, event quests, and so many other types you could go on forever naming them. Naturally, the ones that draw players' attention are the ones with extreme rarity.
And those quests are commonly called hidden quests.
I'd just given myself an absurdly long explanation in my own head, but there was only one reason for it.
'I think that hidden quest is right in front of me.'
'? If we're classifying it by type, then yes, I think that's correct. And judging by your friends' reactions, it seems you're the only one who can see it, Kazuma.'
Elia answered, sounding puzzled by the fact that I'd unconsciously slipped into formal speech, and I hurriedly pulled myself together.
'.........The trigger condition... probably forging the curved sword just now, maybe?'
'That seems likely. Or perhaps there's an additional condition attached, something like [Weapon Made Using LA].'
'That hurdle's way too high...'
'At this point, it feels less like a high hurdle and more like a quest that'll never appear again.'
The setup was absurdly contrived, but Elia wasn't wrong.
The boss monster on the Second Floor had undergone such major changes that it would never appear again, and its LA had been obtained by me alone. On top of that, a Unique weapon wasn't exactly something that popped out as casually as a toy-store lottery prize.
At this point, I couldn't even rule out the possibility that Akihiko Kayaba was watching me right now.
"Hey, Kazuma, what's with you? Did your mind just leave your body?"
In the brief silence created by my conversation with Elia, Kirito smacked me hard on the back.
This guy definitely had some jealousy mixed into that. It hurt like hell. Honestly, it even felt like my HP dropped a little.
"Ah, maybe it really did. Actually, I think it's still leaving."
"What...?"
"Anyway, I'm going to go talk to the blacksmith for a bit. Wait here."
"Huh? Hey, hey!"
Ignoring the flustered Kirito, I strode over and stopped in front of the elf blacksmith. Unlike before, he looked at me with open curiosity and finally opened his stiff, straight-lined mouth.
"Human. Talk. Time?"
"Long?"
"Quite."
"Then wait a moment. I'll tell my companions."
"Understood."
I went back and gestured for the three of them to gather for a moment.
"Why? What did you ask him?"
"Before that, I've got something else to announce. I think I just got a quest."
"Huh? A quest? From the blacksmith? We didn't get anything."
"Yeah. So it's probably a hidden quest. Or at least something on that level."
".......!!"
This time, nobody screamed. No, maybe they just didn't have the energy left to scream.
Kirito, so overwhelmed with envy he looked like he might explode, slumped to the ground with his soul halfway out of his body and started muttering to himself.
Asuna wasn't much different—she was pretending not to care while picking at her nails—and Kazuha was just sparkling with innocent delight, apparently operating on a simple "if it's good, it's good" mindset.
"It sounds like this is going to take a while, so go do whatever you need to do in the meantime. Once you decide on a place, we'll meet up there."
"Uh, uhbuh, uhbububub..."
"Good grief... his eyes have completely rolled back. Then we'll head back to Kizmel. We should check whether that blacksmith is really skilled enough to casually make weapons like mine. And then..."
"........Let's go to the residential district. We need to sort out our belongings and do some maintenance anyway..."
"...That's what she says~ Kazuha, let's go too! It's been a while, but how about some shopping? Different direction than usual, sure, but still. We won't be seeing Kazuma anytime soon anyway if he's stuck on a quest."
"I guess..."
For just a moment, a wicked smile flickered across Asuna's face as she looked at Kazuha, who couldn't hide her disappointment. But it vanished just as quickly, replaced by a bright smile as she pushed Kazuha along and headed toward Kizmel's tent.
I waved them off, then turned back to the blacksmith and nodded.
"I'm done. Talk. Where?"
"Follow me."
With that, he went through the front door of the house behind him. I'd thought NPC homes were normally fully objectized, but maybe this house was different, because the moment I stepped forward, I entered the interior without any trouble.
There were plant-shaped decorations everywhere that practically screamed "elf," along with elegant ornaments and furnishings that looked almost aristocratic. Had he made them himself, or was he originally connected to some wealthy household?
While I was thinking that, the blacksmith had already sat down and extended an arm toward the sofa across from him.
"Human, you may sit here."
"........What?"
Maybe this was part of the quest too, but the blacksmith's speech had suddenly become far more fluent than the bare-minimum words he'd been using before.
"So you can talk just fine."
"It's bothersome outside. Besides, I'm generally wary of humans, so I keep my words to a minimum. I have my own circumstances, so I learned the human tongue."
"That's a relief. Honestly, the way you were talking before was kind of rough. So, what did you want to discuss?"
"Boy, were you perhaps the one who slew the floor lord, the bull that turned its back on the stars?"
"If you mean a pitch-black thing with six horns and a crown, then yeah, I killed it. Not alone, though."
"It died... Then perhaps, do you still have that crown?"
"Why the crown?"
"Because I have a great interest in it."
"What is it?"
"At a glance it may look like silver or platinum, but the metal of that crown is exceedingly rare. Incomparably rarer than what you brought me to forge that curved sword."
".........Huh. Then with that, you could make a sword..."
"I could. But one would need to train to a degree beyond comparison with that curved sword's user before they could even dream of wielding it. And even if I forged it, the current you would not be able to lift it at all."
So basically, it had an absurdly high level requirement.
"To explain that metal properly, I would have to go back several hundred years. I'll summarize."
"Works for me."
*
".........I do not know how you saw it, but that bull that turned its back on the stars does not normally reside on the second layer of the Tower of Heaven."
".......Honestly, I didn't even know it existed. It just suddenly popped out as an extra. We almost got wiped because of it."
"I see. Then I offer my regret... a tragic matter. Even among our elves, only a very small few knew that legend, so it is no surprise you had never heard it."
"That information wasn't something you could get on this floor or the floors nearby?"
"Correct. It is a tale known only by a tiny handful, a story that is, quite literally, called a legend. But as you know, we elves are long-lived, so we try to preserve such memories, to remember them. Though now the elders are gone, and the children dismiss it as nonsense."
"........And you know that legend?"
".......My late grandfather was in somewhat... special circumstances, so I heard it often enough for it to be carved into my mind."
"I see. Was he some kind of noble or something? It doesn't seem like even elves can use magic easily, but earlier you looked awfully skilled at using magic."
"Oh? That too is not something one hears noticed very often. So you realized it. Humans, of course, do not know this, but among elves there are a few who can use magic. Rank, however, has little to do with it."
"Really...?"
"I digress. The legend is the important part. Though it has now faded into obscurity, its contents are undeniably true."
"So what is the legend?"
".........It is a story about stars. When certain clusters of stars remain in place for a certain span of time, the lords of the stars appear. And they receive the power of the stars they symbolize, making them far stronger than the lord of the floor they inhabit. However, all of them without exception share one common weakness. That is..."
"It has something to do with the crown I have, doesn't it?"
"You saw it at once. They all wear crowns upon their heads as if flaunting them. And those crowns are said to be made from fragments of stars that fell from the heavens at the dawn of creation."
"...Meteoric Iron..."
"So that is what humans call it. In any case, that metal is the point I wish to discuss."
"You want me to gather it?"
"Yes. Gather them, and I wish to forge the masterpiece of my life."
"It might take a very long time."
"Ha ha, human. Are you a mayfly? I am long-lived."
"I might die while collecting it."
"Then it cannot be helped. I would simply wait. You were the first to slay one of the lords of the stars, after all. So this is no more than a request."
"Fair enough... Then let me ask one last thing."
Pulling the corners of my mouth up into a grin, I shot the blacksmith a challenging smile.
"If I really did gather all of it, are you confident you could forge a sword worthy of the me who'd be able to use it by then?"
The blacksmith raised one corner of his mouth in return, as if calling me insolent, and answered without hesitation.
"Of course, human warrior. I would forge you a sword so magnificent that you might never wield anything greater in your life."
Satisfied with that answer, I immediately pressed the accept button on the quest window that had appeared. Then, just as I was about to rise and signal that I was leaving, the blacksmith spoke again.
"Come to think of it, I do not even know the name of the human who may become a customer of mine in the future. Would you tell me?"
"......I'm Kazuma. And you?"
"Albricion. Call me Albricion."
"I'll remember it."
"Good. Then until another day."
And just as I was about to leave, I remembered something I'd forgotten and added one more thing.
"Oh, right. I just remembered—could you teach me blacksmithing?"
*
By the time I came out of the forge, nearly forty minutes had passed. Judging by the distance and the time, Kirito and the others had probably reached the residential district by now.
As I walked, I started sorting things out in my head.
'..........That legend from earlier. The motif was probably the zodiac.'
'He didn't give an exact number, but I think the references to star clusters and specific movements make that highly likely.'
'The question is whether there's a way to match the stars at the right time. Or will that part also change arbitrarily depending on the quest?'
Asterios the Taurus King had been pure luck. In the worst case, I'd have to track down the positions of the zodiac signs and then find the boss monsters during those periods. There were so many annoying variables that it bordered on impossible.
'And it's not just the bosses. They don't necessarily have to be raid-type boss monsters. They could be floor bosses. And if this really is based on the zodiac, then I can't rule out one-on-one humanoid types either...'
There were too many possibilities. The first priority was obvious: figure out when and where those monsters appeared.
"Still... I'm glad I learned something extra I never expected."
That blacksmith definitely wasn't an ordinary NPC.
After I accepted the quest, his AI level had clearly jumped. It was almost like hidden data had finally activated so he could carry out a specific quest.
It was still just a hypothesis, but the information known only to a tiny number of elves, the magic... that part wasn't certain yet, but if I was right, it was enough to make me laugh.
"Well, this might not take as long as I thought."
After muttering a guess no one else could possibly verify, I left the dark elf camp and headed for the residential district.
*
A little over twenty minutes later, I arrived at the residential district, Zumft, without much trouble. Normally I would've gotten here much faster, but the reason it had taken this long was simple enough...
I'd been fighting monsters along the way to raise proficiency.
And there were all kinds of proficiencies involved: [Spatial Awareness], [Watcher's Eye], [Thrown Blade Arts], one-handed sword... Getting four proficiencies up in a single battle was definitely the kind of efficiency-minded setup I enjoyed.
'And on top of that, once the battle ends, I can raise proficiency again, so this really is the perfect skill rotation.'
'.........Sometimes I think you seem more like an AI than I do, Kazuma.'
'That's a pretty harsh thing to say.'
It was kind of sad that I couldn't even deny it when it came to this sort of calculated optimization. While I was thinking that, I checked my skill slots and saw that besides the [Thrown Blade Arts] category, one-handed sword, and [Martial Arts], a [Blacksmith] skill had also been added.
'To begin with, there really aren't many players who have this many skills spread across so many fields, you know? Blacksmithing, a Unique Skill, standard one-handed sword, martial arts... you've practically been sweeping them all up.'
'Call it laying the foundation. Weirdly enough, this [Thrown Blade Arts] category doesn't have any fixed active skills, so I need as many basic skills as I can gather.'
'......No active skills means...'
'Yeah. It means techniques I create myself will become skills. In simple terms, I guess you could call it combination.'
'......That's a double-edged sword. It means you can create skills ordinary players would never even imagine, but the process of getting there is brutal.'
'Exactly... Maybe all Unique Skills are like this. If so, I'm in for a rough time.'
"Kazuma~!"
Kazuha's voice, which had somehow become a familiar alarm by now, snapped me back to reality. I turned toward the sound and saw Kazuha, along with Kirito and Asuna approaching with oddly complicated expressions.
".....What? Why do you all look like that? Did something happen on the way here?"
"Ah, well..."
After hesitating for a moment, Kazuha awkwardly explained what had happened while I was gone.
"......."
So, to sum it up, Lord Softhearted Kirito had thought about rescuing a Kizmel from another campaign quest—not our quest's Kizmel—and then got thrown off because the dark elf had been swapped out for a man...
"........You know, I've been thinking this for a while, Kirito."
Putting a hand on his shoulder with a suitably thoughtful expression, I broke into a bright smile and went straight for the kill.
"So you really were trying to save Kizmel because she's a dark elf lady, huh? People really aren't what they seem on the outside. No, I'm a guy too, so it's not like I can't understand. Still... isn't that a bit much? I mean, getting all shaken up just because the NPC isn't a woman, even if she is kind of your type... I almost feel bad for that male dark elf from the campaign."
With every word I said, Kirito's face turned grayer and grayer, while Kazuha also went pale after catching sight of Asuna's expression behind him.
"Hey... did you do that on purpose?"
Maybe he sensed killing intent like some kind of master, because Kirito's voice trembled as he asked me that. I answered with the most innocent smile I could manage. Naturally, as someone who prided himself on being meticulous, I also made sure to use Kirito's face as a shield so I wouldn't have to look at Asuna's.
"Yep!"
"Kiiiritooooooooo~~~~~~~~~~~!!"
"Don't answer with that ridiculously cheerful smile, you little old mannnnnn~!!!!!"
Judging by the lingering effect marks on his forehead, Kirito had probably already been hit before we met up. But this time, he got beaten so badly I honestly started wondering whether the first safe-zone murder was about to happen.
And as a completely unnecessary footnote, it took another full hour to calm down Kazuha, who had been trembling behind me in terror the whole time.
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