1.
And so, ordinary days repeated themselves.
Much of my daily routine changed as well.
Originally, I would have gone straight into the workshop while chewing on ciabatta the moment I woke up.
Or I would have needed to pick up a hammer and strike something immediately before I could feel at ease.
But that was no longer what mattered.
I decided to take care of my condition and leave myself some room to breathe.
During the day, I watched Ruby practice magic.
Or I went on outings around the territory, holding Dolores and Ruby's hands.
And I did endurance training with Ruby.
Of course, soothing Yuna was an added bonus.
It seemed she had only realized afterward that I had tampered with her system, causing her not to notice that something could have gone wrong with me.
[I respect you and always cheer for you to keep doing your best but shouldn’t I still be the one taking care of you when you’re sick???]
[I’m your secretary, but I’m also your little sister.]
Thus began another round of Yuna's emotional instability, but...
In the end—
"Yeah, I love you too."
[...Yeah, me too. Then undo the training.]
"I can’t undo that."
It was something I did with a computer.
Unfortunately, there were no computers here.
[How the hell did you train me, then!!]
I had put quite a bit of effort into it.
You could call it a one-of-a-kind training method.
"I won’t overdo it anymore."
Only occasionally. Just occasionally.
That was how I reached a reasonably amicable agreement with Yuna and resolved things well enough.
And then...
When night came—
I spent the entire day hammering away in my dreams.
That space was incredibly strange. If I thought of it before falling asleep, I would wake up there when I opened my eyes.
The waterfall of lava was gone, and the place had changed back into an exact replica of my workshop.
Clang! Clang!
I hammered away there.
Harngar said he could not come every time.
That space, and he himself, were originally meant to disappear after passing on the three wisdoms.
So even his remaining this long was apparently unusual.
Every now and then, he would stop by and point out flaws in my posture or things I had overlooked.
"When will this space disappear?"
"When the time comes."
That was all he said.
Not studying by day and night.
I rested in the day and worked at night.
That was how I spent my time at an easy pace.
For about two weeks.
One morning.
"...Huff, huff."
I sprawled beside the jump rope I had tossed aside, gulping for air.
Then I looked to the side with an incredulous expression.
"...Hup."
Whirr, whirr, whirr...
What the hell was with this girl?
Ruby seemed to have a talent for working out.
By the time I did about three sets and collapsed onto the ground, Ruby would do thirteen sets without resting.
"Ruby was born with a strong constitution."
According to Dolores, Ruby's trait was a matter of constitution.
She did not get sick often; she was healthy and strong.
"Ruby will never have to be sick."
Perhaps Dolores simply did not want that child to endure the pain she herself had suffered.
Her face had brightened a little when she said it, which made me feel a bit sorry for her.
After watching Ruby for a little longer, I got up.
"...I’m going now, Ruby. It’s time for my appointment."
"Okay."
"How much longer are you going to work out?"
"One hour... no, two... five hours."
I had no idea how one hour became five hours.
Still, with the difference in our endurance, there was bound to be a difference in our total exercise time.
She had reached the point of mastering every modern exercise I taught her.
She was not going to get ridiculously muscular, was she?
Creak.
After closing the reception room door behind me, I naturally headed for Dolores's office.
She was the one I had been referring to when I mentioned an appointment to Ruby.
The time had come.
Two weeks. I had rested enough.
Knock, knock.
"Are you here, Lionel?"
When I opened the door, Dolores greeted me with a gentle smile.
I curled up the corners of my mouth as I looked at her.
"Dolores."
"Yes?"
"Would you take them off?"
That was what I said.
2.
"..."
Dolores stood beside me, her face flushed.
For the record, she still had her clothes on.
I had no idea why her face was red.
"Is this everything?"
"...There is underwear too, but it does not have any abilities that could be called equipment."
"Ah, then you don’t need to take that off."
"...Okay."
On the broad floor of the office, all the equipment Dolores had worn over her body when she used to climb the Tower was laid out in a row.
They were things she did not wear outside the Tower—in her everyday life, that is.
What I had to do today was simple.
I would collect all her equipment and enchant every piece of it.
It was about time, wasn’t it? I had held myself back for a long time.
Rub, rub, rub...
I licked my lips and slowly turned my gaze toward Dolores's equipment, the corners of my mouth rising.
Now then, time for the unboxing.
I was excited.
Just how exceptional would Dolores's unique equipment be?
I had asked her to lay everything out by category first.
The first category was clothing.
A hat, top, bottoms, cape, and shoulder guards.
Since she was a mage, her hat had more of a tiara-like design.
The second category was accessories.
Earrings, a pendant, and rings.
The third category was armaments.
Bracers and a magic grimoire.
...Bracers?
Why were bracers categorized as weapons?
"What is this?"
"They are bracers that aid the circulation and release of magic. You can think of them as my primary weapon."
I see.
Bracers... She used quite a cute weapon.
Now, it was time.
Time to unlock them.
When I pictured her in my mind, Dolores's equipment window came into view.
Currently, two slots here had been unlocked and filled by Frostless Spring and the warming gloves.
All the rest were sealed in black.
Slots that had never passed through my hands, ones I had never even seen.
The moment I took in the equipment before me—
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
The equipment slots shattered one after another.
Then equipment began filling them in rapid succession.
She had five-star unique equipment, but she also had four-star unique equipment.
The equipment flashing through my vision:
[Hat]
[Frost Tiara] [★★★★☆]
[Unique Equipment] [Compatibility] [21 / 80]
[The higher the wearer's affinity for cold, the more it lowers the wearer's body temperature. Since the wearer's affinity for cold has surpassed its limit, it lowers her body temperature significantly.]
[Top]
[Glacie] [★★★★★]
[Unique Equipment] [Compatibility] [19 / 100]
[Keeps the wearer's mana from becoming unstable. However, the wearer's mana control is exceptionally superb, so while there are no drawbacks, this is not equipment she particularly needs.]
[Shoes]
[Silver Felice] [★★★★☆]
[Unique Equipment] [Compatibility] [8 / 80]
[Recovers mana with every step and returns it to circulation. However, due to the wearer's Nine Yin Severed Meridians, she cannot accept the recovered mana.]
[Cape]
[Ever Bloom Prime] [★★★★★]
[Unique Equipment] [Compatibility] [0 / 100]
[Accumulates the mana of cast spells and adds it to the next spell cast.]
[The creator's intent was designed based on the body of a woman under thirty. It cannot provide any effect to a wearer over that age.]
Wait a second.
Up to this point.
I looked through the remaining equipment too, but it was the same story: all of it was garbage.
I sat on the floor with a grave expression.
"..."
Wow, so that was it?
"Heh."
I let out an empty laugh.
The question I had been wondering about all this time was:
"Why do rankers use equipment with such terrible compatibility?"
That was it.
But now that I saw this, it made sense why someone like Dolores would not know.
The tiara was one thing. Cold being bad for her was a chronic issue.
But the second, third, and fourth pieces...
In those cases, the equipment abilities themselves were extraordinarily good. The fourth was so absurdly overpowered I could barely believe it existed.
The problem was—
"It doesn’t suit her constitution."
Dolores's mana control was so exceptional that she had no need for a top like that.
And even if she recovered mana and tried to absorb it again... her frozen meridians prevented it.
The fourth one was... simply unfortunate. Climbing the Tower must have taken a great deal of time.
Wasn’t it only natural that she would pass thirty?
Well, I could give this one to Ruby later, couldn’t I?
Even better.
[🐔🐔🐔]
Kim Yujin was suddenly dissing Dolores.
Come on, Yuna.
Yuna was apparently still sulking.
Anyway, if the first three cases had involved different climbers, they would certainly have had good compatibility.
Each individual's constitution and tendencies, or even... their age and timing.
Just one small difference could lower compatibility this much.
In conclusion—
"...Dolores."
"Yes?"
"Didn’t you ever feel like your equipment was not helping you much?"
This woman...
She had not been benefiting from her equipment at all, had she?
"..."
Dolores lightly scratched her chin and averted her eyes.
Had she perhaps always had her doubts?
"Once I had all my equipment, my condition began worsening quickly... so it was hard to tell."
"...I see. I’ll change everything for you now."
First, though, I needed to do some enchanting.
When you enchanted unique equipment, its latent abilities awakened.
What if those latent abilities could even change the nature of the equipment?
For example, it could raise the age limit on equipment that did not grant abilities to anyone over thirty.
Or it might grant an entirely different ability.
All right, next step.
"May I enchant them now?"
"Of course."
Oh, she was giving me permission that easily?
They were unique equipment, after all.
At that moment, Dolores smiled gently and held out the bracer she had been carrying against her chest.
It was shaped differently from the bracers on the floor.
"Could you do this one first? I do not use it anymore."
"...Sure. Why not?"
It seemed she did not entirely trust me yet.
I could understand it, since this was common sense in the current era.
Fine. I would show her my skill through this opportunity.
"Please watch me enchant it. I’m truly confident I won’t destroy it."
"All right. I understand."
"But you said you don’t use this equipment anymore?"
"That’s right."
Then what would happen after the enchantment was finished?
She did not even use it.
"Then if the enchantment goes well, may I sell it?"
"That is a good idea."
"Could it expose your identity, since it’s your equipment...?"
Enchanting was already something that should not be possible—let alone enchanting unique equipment.
If someone recognized it as Dolores's equipment, things could become a little troublesome.
I just wanted to receive the money remotely.
"The moment I obtained that equipment, I became too ill to ever wear it even once. So no one knows about it."
She had never worn it even once.
For a moment, those words sounded a little sad.
"I’ll enchant this and..."
I lifted the bracer.
[Ether Circle] [★★★★☆]
[Unique Equipment]
─────────────────
Circulates mana to aid the wearer's mana circulation.
─────────────────
『It turns without rest, circulating endlessly.』
─────────────────
"...I’ll treat you right."
I confidently promised her.
2.
Scroll, scroll.
Gale, the guild master of Verdandi.
Today again, he was combing through the auction house.
His search term was always the same.
"Gloves."
"...Nothing today either."
There had once been an item that turned this auction house upside down—an item that shook the entire Tower.
Ordinary work gloves. And yet... they were enchanted to +20.
A starless piece of trash said to rival a three-star item enchanted to +10.5.
The problem was that, after being listed once, that equipment had never appeared in the auction house again.
After that, no equipment had ever appeared with an enchantment level beyond the established limit.
[It must have been an error.]
[Since nothing like it has been listed again, wasn’t it really just a bug?]
People began to regard it as an error in the Tower system.
The Dwarf Company officially said the same thing.
An "error."
"Was it truly nothing more than that...?"
Just as he was about to close the auction house after searching for gloves—
Bang!
The office door flew open.
"G-G-Gale..."
"Haha! What is it?"
"Y-you, you have to l-look at this..."
A guild member was trembling as she shared her Tower interface with him, for some reason.
She brought up a window in front of him.
─────────────────
[Ether Circle] [★★★★☆]
[Unique Equipment]
[Enchantment Level: 16]
[Current Bid: 70,000 Gold]
─────────────────
『It turns without rest, circulating endlessly.』
─────────────────
He saw the window floating before him.
"..."
"..."
As though he could not believe it, Gale—
Blink, blink.
Blinked about ten times.
Whip, whip.
He even turned his head about three times.
But...
Unique equipment.
Four stars.
...Enchantment level 16.
The interface before him did not change at all. Not even slightly.
"You said it was an error. Fuck."
"H-huh?"
Whether an enhancement failed catastrophically or a guild member made a mistake, Gale always spoke in his usual hearty tone.
So when he suddenly cursed, the guild member was flustered.
"Those fucking scammers at the Dwarf Company."
Had they not said that unique equipment could not be enchanted, not even by a single level?
Had they not said that three-star equipment was the absolute pinnacle of enchanted equipment?
That was why the Dwarf Company had told Gale, who had struggled to obtain unique equipment, that everything would be solved if he just completed all the enhancements on his three-star gear.
"Once you finish the bracers, you’re done!"
They had personally told him that while consulting him as a VIP customer.
Then what the hell was this equipment right in front of him?
The Dwarf Company's vaunted principle of value preservation was being utterly shattered before his eyes.
And the market economy, renowned for being colder and more rational than anything else, ironically...
Ding!
[Current Bid: 618,000 Gold]
Ding.
[Current Bid: 745,000 Gold]
"..."
"..."
Perfectly recognized its value before their eyes—
[Current Bid: 930,000 Gold]
And was setting its price accordingly.
And all of this had happened just...
Two minutes after the auction began.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register