Chapter 229: Legally Half-Naked Exercising Historical Legitimacy, and the Abnormality of a Pervert Discussed From an Artisan's Perspective

Author's Preface
To fix a contradiction, I'm tossing in a new chapter before the latest one updated yesterday.

Stitch, stitch, stitch, stitch. Sew, sew, sew, sew.

A brown-furred rabbit, ears standing straight up, swayed back and forth in a rocking chair, single-mindedly crafting tiny dolls. They took various shapes—some were rabbits, others were goblins. On the table next to the rocking chair lay several leather keychains. It seemed this rabbit... one of Emul's older sisters, though I don't know exactly where she ranks among them, acting as the accessory shopkeeper... was making keychains.

".........? Oh my, welcome. To Emul... ah, you must be that bird fella I've heard the rumors about."

"A Kyoto dialect, huh..."

"Sunraku-san! This is Effuielle Onee-chan desu wa!"

"I've heard the rumors 'bout you. I'm just a humble accessory artisan workin' here."

Her soft, relaxed smile showed a completely different personality type from Emul's other older sister, Bilac, but...

"A little bird told me you received an accessory from Catzeria. What business would a fella like you have with a nobody like me? I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to jewels, ya know...?"

Yep, she's definitely blood-related to Bilac. The way she casually stabs with her words makes me deeply feel the family resemblance.
In short, I had just been hit with a preemptive smiling punch that essentially translated to: "What business does a guy who's being pampered by a first-rate artisan, who isn't me, have here? Huh? Are you just browsing? Just browsing?"
But a Trash Game Hunter does not get discouraged. My life's work is the very act of excavating unexploded ordnance from the sea of bargain bins! First-rate or third-rate, it doesn't matter. Trash games are born equally from unexpected places and unearthed from bargain carts.

"To tell you the truth, this is a bit embarrassing, but I haven't really had the need to explicitly rely on accessories until now."

"Oh?"

"I haven't even unlocked my accessory slots yet. So, I came here hoping you could unlock them for me."

"Sunraku-san's ecology is fundamentally that of a monster desu wa. This is his first step towards reintegrating into society, so Effuielle Onee-chan, please help hihmmhmhh!"

"Who're you calling a barbarian, huh?"

I pinched and stretched Emul's cheeks, physically silencing her. I've been carrying Emul on my head so much lately that I can basically guess exactly where her cheeks are by pure instinct now...

"Ufufufufu, I can see why Bilac Onee-chan took a liking to ya. Understood, leave the slot expansion to me... Ah, and if ya don't mind, please buy some of the accessories I've made on yer way out."

"Give me the best you've got."

Setting that aside.
It seems that players can currently unlock up to six slots. You start with one accessory slot at Level 1, and can unlock a new one for every 20 levels.
In other words, a player who has reached Level 100 by lifting the level cap, like Kyou-timate, can unlock a sixth accessory slot. However, since I haven't lifted the level cap, my limit is five.

"I see... This bracelet has been eatin' up one of yer Spirit Holes, Sunraku-han."

Please don't use new terminology, it just gets confusing. Though I assume she means a slot... Effuielle took out a pair of glasses from the pocket of her apron-dress-like outfit and perched them neatly on her nose... This rabbit even has the glasses attribute...!

"To think you managed to cross swords with Lycaon and Ctarrnid in a state like this..."

"As long as your body moves the way you want it to, you can usually manage somehow."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't reach that conclusion, 'cause it'd put us accessory shops outta business... Alright, here, and here... and here."

Effuielle, who had been lightly tapping my hand, pulled her arm back grandly as visual effects began to gather in her hand.

"Slot Lock Open!"

Smack!

"Ouch."

Smack!

"Hold o—"

Smaaaaack!!

Wasn't the last one way stronger than the rest!?

"Alright, all done. Yer Spirit Holes are open now, so ya can equip accessories."

"What is this, a surprise vaccination...?"

You know, the ones where the doctor says, 'I'll inject it in three seconds,' and then stabs you by surprise at the two-second mark. Though apparently they used to hurt way more in the past.
Anyway, since my accessory slots are unlocked now, let's try equipping them right away.

"..............."

"..............."

"...............If you have something to say, spit it out."

"A half-naked man in a cape just makes you look even more suspicious desu wa."

"To be blunt, yer a pervert."

"No, look, this is... it's a good old-fashioned wrestler-style look, okay? I'm gonna start doing aerial acrobatics and stuff."

If you encountered a half-naked bird-head wearing a cape anywhere outside a pro-wrestling ring, you'd call the cops without hesitation. But it's fine, this game is a fantasy... Compared to a skeleton that's completely stripped off not just its clothes but its skin and flesh as well, this is practically modest winter wear...!

"That being said, it doesn't seem like I can pull off any reckless movements in this..."

"Why's that desu wa?"

"The cape gets tangled."

If it were a cape that only reached my waist, I could have just ignored it as an ornament, but the Star Cloak of Lapistella reaches all the way down to my shins, and it's quite heavy.
Above all, the armor portion covering my shoulders and neck significantly restricts my freedom of movement. Wearing poorly designed armor blatantly hinders mobility, so being half-naked really is the b............ No, no, wait. If my heart yields to being half-naked, I really will just be a pervert.

"As for the Levin Trigger: Hazard... well, it just feels like a normal leather glove..."

It feels a bit stiff, like plastic fibers, but it's well within the acceptable range to be used as a normal glove. The activation action was slamming the amber on the thumb against my left chest, right? At least there shouldn't be any accidental misfires.

"Now then, please buy some of my masterpieces on yer way out."

"Yeah, yeah... By the way, what kind of effects do these dolls have?"

"Hmm... These little ones generally take on the owner's misfortune or invite good fortune. Fer example, this Goblin Doll grants a tiny, constant recovery to yer health."

"How much?"

Whether I use it or not is another matter, but an accessory that grants a Regen effect is absolutely top-tier.

"Ufufu, I don't dislike fellas who spend their money rough..."

"I've got so much money I could turn it into a mass weapon, and my wallet is wider than the sea. I'll buy everything from one end to the other."

"B-Bourgeoisie desu wa!!"

In real life, only a handful of life's winners can pull that off, but in a game, you just have to grind to save up money. The sheer pleasure of completely depleting an NPC's stock is a familiar sensation for any Hack-and-Slash player.
Goblins, Skeletons, Mandragoras... I bought all the deformed yet undeniably creepy dolls and handed the Mani over to a beaming Effuielle.

"The amount I cashed in is probably gonna run dry soon... Well, I already paid for the weapons and armor in advance, so it's fine."

"The look on Peatz's face when you took all the Mani he had on hand and gave him jewels in exchange was honestly a little funny desu wa."

You know what they call that look, Emul? It's the 'Face of a person who spent their entire living expenses on something useless.' Strictly speaking, the situation was different, but it seems the expression someone makes when their entire wallet vanishes to receive something is the same whether they're a human or a rabbit.

"Alright, for now..."

"Are we going to Onee-chan's place desu wa?"

"I'm yer Onee-chan too, ya know?"

"Muu! Not Effuielle Onee-chan, Bilac Onee-chan desu wa!"

Leaving behind Effuielle, who told us to "come again" and returned to making dolls, I headed towards... the Colosseum.
Picking up the weapons and armor can wait. First, I want to test the performance of the accessories.

Specifically, the performance of this Trigger giving off incredibly dangerous vibes.

Author's Afterword
Accessories are only completed as Accessory Items after undergoing a certain degree of processing by the hands of a "Crafter" or "Jeweler." Conversely, as long as the material has undergone processing, whether it's a jewel or a tree root, it can become an accessory.

Naturally, accessories with Regen effects exist, and the Heroine-chan has one equipped. Actually, since Tanks can't afford to care about chip damage unless it's a short decisive battle or a situation where they can stably receive a Healer's support, Regen accessories are basically mandatory.

Furthermore, accessories have an "Overlap" system, meaning identical effects from accessories in the same "Jewel" category will overlap. Because of this, even if the recovery amount is modest, the Goblin Doll belonging to the "Doll" category is a rather rare accessory.
It's more accurate to say that accessories in the "Doll" category are rare, rather than the item itself being rare.