1.
I had always thought it would be destroyed someday.
...Just not.
‘Not today!!!!!!!!!’
If there were two things I had gotten wrong, the first was that the system wasn't set up to let me run away the instant I saw the destruction chance.
It should have shown me from the start. What the hell was a 44% destruction chance?
I could never take this underwear lightly.
It was the equipment keeping Dolores's illness at bay.
My blood ran cold.
My heart suddenly began pounding.
I only wanted things to go well. I only wanted to make it better for her, but...
In the end, it was obvious that I had pushed myself too far.
As I imagined the worst-case scenario, my thoughts became a mess.
What if her body turned cold again?
Clasp.
In the end, I hugged Dolores.
She wasn't cold yet, but I patted her soothingly anyway.
Maybe I was soothing myself.
"D-Don't worry."
"...No, Lionel. You must have been more startled than I was."
Dolores pulled me out of her arms, looked at my face, and her eyes widened.
"Lionel, you've gone so pale... Are you all right?"
"I-I'm fine."
I immediately pulled away from Dolores...
Then I turned my head toward the destroyed equipment.
Restore it? I could do that. I'd finish within two days.
I had made this equipment. What could possibly make it impossible for me to repair it?
Of course, I had never once heard of anything called “restoration” in the Dwarf Company's Enchant Room.
Fuck, what if I couldn't?
Then I'd pull several all-nighters and make it again.
I'd find a way.
This was my fault.
[You're blaming yourself way too much right now.]
[You didn't know the odds... It could happen....]
Yuna tried to comfort me.
But that could wait. The result was already here; if I threw myself down and said I hadn't known now, I'd be insane.
Just as I resolved myself and picked up the hammer—
─────────────────
[The [Heirs of Fire's Mark] remains on the destroyed equipment.]
─────────────────
"Huh...?"
Red letters appeared before my eyes.
─────────────────
[The ember dwelling within the mark remembers everything.]
[The owner of the ember has been confirmed.]
─────────────────
My gaze turned to the torn underwear.
Light was leaking out from the mark engraved on the remaining portion.
─────────────────
[[Heirs of Fire — Original Restoration]]
[You may revive the ember from the time of creation to restore destroyed equipment.]
[Only an Heir of Fire who engraved the mark may exercise this authority.]
[Whether the original enchantments are preserved will be determined by the restoration accuracy.]
─────────────────
A second chance had come.
My sky had already fallen, and this was the only hole through which I could climb back out.
─────────────────
[Required materials: Spirit Thread ×3]
─────────────────
I immediately sprang up, rushed to the storage room, and brought out the spirit stones I had been saving.
There was no reason to save them now.
Bang! Bang!
I crushed the spirit stones just like that.
I dissolved them in the cooling bath, pressed them through a sieve, and spun out thread.
As I focused on the work, my negative thoughts began to fade.
Before I knew it, I held three skeins of Spirit Thread in my hands.
About three hours had passed.
Ah, Dolores.
When I turned my head...
Dolores was looking at me with an incredibly tender expression.
"..."
I wasn't ready or worthy to receive that kind of look right now, so I focused on the restoration instead.
I held the materials needed for the restoration in my hands.
Even without being told how to fix it, I felt like I knew what to do.
I placed one skein over a torn section, unraveled the strands with the tip of a needle, and slowly tied them together.
Rustle...
The tangled threads came apart. The intact sections remained untouched, while the rest joined themselves back together.
They remembered everything—how it had been made.
It wasn't hard for me to mend equipment I had made myself.
Don't rush it.
Rustle...
Rustle...
And once I filled in the final gap...
The moment I tidied the ends of the thread—
The three skeins that had been piled before me had vanished.
Whoosh...
An ember flared from the mark that remained on one side of the garment.
The glittering flames spread along the path I had newly woven and stitched...
Fwoooosh...
Before long.
How many more hours had passed?
─────────────────
[Restoration Successful]
─────────────────
"Ah..."
─────────────────
[Restoration Completion: Supreme]
[The equipment's original form has been fully restored.]
[Its existing enchantments and potential abilities have been preserved.]
─────────────────
[The damaged sections have fused more firmly than before.]
[The restored equipment's completion surpasses its original form.]
─────────────────
[Spring Breeze Carrying Fire]
[★★★★☆ → ★★★★✦]
[Enchantment Level: +21]
─────────────────
Fuck.
It came back.
The Spring Breeze Carrying Fire before me had returned completely intact.
Its enchantment level... its potential abilities... all of it was still there.
It had even gained half a star.
"Lionel, you bastard..."
I slammed my head onto the desk and breathed a sigh of relief.
The weight that had been crushing my chest since the moment I broke it seemed to lift a little.
And then.
─────────────────
[Spring Breeze Carrying Fire] [★★★★✦]
[Unique Equipment] [Compatibility] [- /110]
─────────────────
[[Overcame Adversity]]
[The formerly damaged portions have been reinforced, greatly reducing the chance that the equipment will be destroyed upon enhancement failure.]
─────────────────
"...Huh?"
Words appeared before my eyes.
Fuck off.
If I did this again without any safeguards, I wouldn't be human.
Until I came up with some countermeasure or found a way to lower the destruction chance, I had absolutely no intention of touching anything above +20.
I'm not doing it, you bastard.
Just as I rose to return to Dolores—
─────────────────
[Achievement] [You Actually Tried This?] [★★★★★]
─────────────────
『Attempt an enchantment beyond +20, a realm no one else dares to reach.』
[Title Acquired — [History Is Written by Those Who Dare to Challenge]]
─────────────────
Along with the achievement name that sounded as though it were asking me that very question,
the thing I always got appeared beneath it.
[Reward]
A reward. What could it be?
Forget that for now.
"Dolores..."
I approached her with the underwear held in both hands.
"I managed to restore it...."
Chirp, chirp.
The sound of birds singing somewhere nearby.
It was already morning. Sunlight streamed through the window.
Rather than the garment I held out, Dolores stared at my face a little longer.
"Lionel..."
Her hand touched my cheek.
"It hurts my heart to see you like this."
Her thumb swept beneath my eye, then rubbed both my cheeks softly.
"You worked so hard...."
"No, I..."
I was the one who broke it.
Before I could finish speaking, my body was pulled toward Dolores.
Dolores placed the garment beside her and hugged me tightly.
Pat, pat.
Her hand patted my back.
My body rocked slightly...
"Let's rest."
Instead of replying, I clutched Dolores's clothes.
Dolores definitely wasn't wearing the underwear right now, but...
Her embrace was so warm.
The strength gradually drained from my shoulders, which I had overworked all night.
Ah.
I'm not someone who cries, but I felt like I was about to.
Guilt and relief that I had somehow solved it came rushing in.
My mind might be that of an adult, but...
Maybe because I had a child's body, there were times like this when I couldn't control myself.
Drip...
Sure enough, tears slipped out after I lost control.
I quickly shut my mouth and buried my face in her embrace, but...
"Oh, dear."
Dolores held me to her and patted my back.
Pat... pat...
How long did we remain like that?
Little by little, my breathing settled, and the strength in my hands loosened.
"...Hoo."
Only after letting out a long breath did I lift my head.
I couldn't bring myself to meet her eyes.
The place I had soaked with my tears showed through her clothes, and I couldn't look there either.
Before I knew it, Dolores's thumb had risen to wipe the corners of my eyes.
"Are you all right?"
"...Yes."
My voice was hoarse, too...
Just as I was feeling a little better and tried to meet Dolores's gaze—
[Reward]
Behind Dolores.
The reward box I had shoved aside earlier came into view.
─────────────────
[Meister's Enchant Powder] [★★★★★]
[200g]
─────────────────
『Praise bestowed upon an heir who did not fear failure.』
『So that your challenge will not be your last.』
[When enchanting, it stabilizes the power dwelling in the equipment and prevents destruction caused by enhancement failure.]
[Upon enhancement failure, the existing enchantment level and potential abilities are retained.]
─────────────────
"..."
Looking back, my attempt had been reckless.
Yet these rewards seemed to encourage it, as though they thought those attempts were worthy of praise.
Ah.
I could read, after all.
I knew exactly what it meant when it said it prevented destruction.
And I knew that 200 grams was enough for exactly around twenty attempts.
I knew all of it.
The equipment that had shattered as if laughing at my challenge.
And the reward left by my ancestors, telling me that such a challenge hadn't been worthless.
The achievement had comforted me by saying that history was written by those who dared to challenge without fearing failure.
I reread the two lines above.
So that your challenge will not be your last.
"..."
Fine, you bastards.
Thud.
A golden leather pouch fell into my hand.
The pouch was swollen as though it were filled to the brim.
I stared down at it for a moment.
"...Dolores."
"...Yes."
"Do you still believe in me?"
The moment I finished asking, Dolores cupped my cheeks without giving a verbal answer.
When I raised my head, she slowly leaned down...
Kiss.
Warm lips briefly touched the bridge of my nose.
"..."
"Not once."
Dolores pressed her forehead against mine and whispered.
"Not once have I ever failed to believe in you."
Crumple.
The pouch clenched in my hand wrinkled.
"Yes."
With that resolute answer, I turned toward the table.
The stage was set, wasn't it?
Powder that prevented destruction—something transcendent, on an entirely different level from the Enchant Dust I made myself.
I measured out exactly 10 grams and sprinkled it evenly over the underwear.
Then I picked up the hammer.
Clang!
Hit circles glittered before my eyes.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Don't think something like this can stop me.
The hammer was in my hand anyway, and the hit circles... you were in the same place anyway.
The goal was right there.
Clang!
Whenever I enchanted something until now, the feeling I got whenever I missed a circle was...
‘Ah, damn. So close.’
That was all.
Just disappointment and irritation.
Because I could just hit the next one properly.
But now...
‘If you miss even one, you're dead, Lionel.’
I could no longer feel the hand holding the hammer.
Just because I had sprinkled powder that would keep it from breaking didn't mean I could afford to be careless.
Even if I enjoyed it in the future, I would never take it lightly again.
I had been lucky this time. Spirit Thread was a material I could obtain anytime.
But what if the equipment had been made from a material that existed only once in the world?
Then... how would I restore it?
I had to learn from this.
Clangclangclangclang!
Was this what it meant to become one with the world?
─────────────────
[Spring Breeze Carrying Fire] [★★★★✦]
[+21 → +22]
─────────────────
"..."
I had succeeded at +22.
170 grams of powder remained.
The enchanting did not stop.
Clang!
Clang!
Even the sensation of holding the hammer faded...
I hammered again and again as though it had been part of my hand from the beginning.
If I failed, I measured out more powder. If I succeeded, I moved on to the next step.
Clangclangclangclang!
How much more time passed like that?
─────────────────
[Spring Breeze Carrying Fire] [★★★★✦]
[+23 → +24]
─────────────────
Before I knew it, I was holding underwear enchanted to +24.
"..."
I looked inside the pouch, and after scraping together every last bit of powder, there was...
Exactly 10 grams.
Just one attempt.
"...Ah."
If I failed this, it was over.
Literally over.
That was what I decided.
I'd be lying if I said I had no regrets, but this was the limit of my domain.
I poured the powder I had emptied out over the equipment...
Clang!
And began hammering.
As the enchantment level rose, the number of hit circles grew countless as well.
I struck just as I always had.
Clang!
─────────────────
[Base Success Rate for +24 → +25] [0%]
─────────────────
[Marvelous: 301] [Excellent: 0] [Normal: 0] [Poor: 0] [Terrible: 0]
[Marvelous Bonus] [0% → 6%]
─────────────────
[Meister's Enchant Powder Bonus]
[6% → 8%]
─────────────────
[Success Rate: 8%]
[Failure Rate: 92%]
─────────────────
This time, too, I hit nothing but Marvelous results.
[No matter what the result is....]
[You worked so hard, Lionel....]
Thanks, Yuna.
The number of hit circles had already passed three hundred.
My hand trembled violently.
One single chance.
─────────────────
[Attempt in Progress......]
─────────────────
Could I really succeed?
Then.
Squeeze...
Dolores gently took my hand.
"It's all right."
This time, it felt like we could see the result together.
I held Dolores's hand and waited for the outcome...
Pop!
─────────────────
[Enhancement Successful!]
[Spring Breeze Carrying Fire] [★★★★✦]
[+24 → +25]
─────────────────
I just...
"Ah..."
Stared endlessly at the notification declaring my success.
The aura around the underwear, which had been green, changed to a platinum glow.
Sparks scattered and settled over the equipment.
Sizzle...
+25...
Success.
I tightened my grip on the hand I held.
"I did it...."
My voice completely hoarse, I called for Dolores.
"Mama, I did it...."
"You really... worked so hard, Lionel...."
I staggered toward the underwear.
Just what was +25?
What were you, that you had put me through this much?
With trembling hands, I picked up the underwear...
And its final potential ability appeared above it.
─────────────────
[Potential Ability]
[Type 1]
[+25 — [Untrodden Path]. The Path Untrodden]
『Even a road not chosen has an end.』
[The branch not selected at +5 is unlocked.]
[You gain all the +5, +10, +15, and +20 potential abilities of that branch.]
[Existing potential abilities are retained, while all potential abilities from both branches are enhanced and applied together.]
─────────────────
Wait a second...
"...Both of them?"
This was possible...? Fuck....
─────────────────
[Confirming the path not chosen.]
[+5 — Spring Wind]
[The potential abilities of this branch will unlock in sequence.]
─────────────────
[Potential Ability]
[+5 — Spring Wind]
[Further blossoms the wearer's femininity.]
[Gradually adjusts the body—including the breasts and hips—to its most alluring proportions.]
[Improves the skin and natural body scent, while greatly reducing stamina consumption during certain acts.]
─────────────────
[+10 — Lingering Fragrance]
[Activates when someone the wearer favors is nearby.]
[The wearer's natural scent and body temperature change to the state the other person prefers most.]
[As their longing for each other grows stronger, both parties rapidly recover stamina and mana, and all physical abilities increase.]
[There is no limit to the degree of increase.]
─────────────────
[+15 — Ecstasy]
[Perfects the wearer's appearance into the most beautiful state that body can achieve.]
[Skin, hair, natural scent, and body proportions are always maintained in their finest condition.]
[Any harm to the wearer's appearance caused by fatigue, illness, or injury is immediately corrected.]
[The wearer's appearance will never age.]
─────────────────
[+20 — Wings Together, Branches Entwined] [Cooldown: 5 years]
[Two people who love each other form a contract with a kiss.]
[As long as both remain alive, the two people bound by the contract possess three chances to escape death.]
[The moment either reaches the point of death, it activates automatically, removing the direct cause of death and restoring them to a survivable condition.]
[One remaining chance is consumed with each activation.]
─────────────────
"..."
I blinked.
I read the final sentence, then read it again...
So now... if Dolores formed this contract with someone she loved...
As long as the person on the other side was alive.
"...Huh?"
I slowly raised my head and looked at Dolores.
Now Dolores could escape death three times.
"..."
My eyes widened.
Dolores had been right.
Holy shit.
Spring Wind was completely broken.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register