Chapter 231: The Unintentional Cost of Fame

Clang, clang, clang, clang. Clink, clink, clink, clink.

Inside a workshop echoing with significantly more metallic sounds than Effuielle's, stood a jet-black rabbit.

"Oh, yer here."

"I'm here. How's the finished product looking?"

"It turned out so well I'm pissed I couldn't make a whole set outta it. Look here, first up is the shield... A true Re-Legacy Weapon made specially by yours truly... I call it the 'Mirror Shield of the Nether-King (Dis Pater)'!"

"O-Oooh...!"

What Bilac held out to me was a bluish-black Buckler resembling a steel disc, bearing an appearance clearly detached from a standard fantasy setting... Nn? Is it categorized as a Greatshield?

"Even in death, the life force poured into every single fragment of bone... That thing ya brought me was an absolutely supreme masterpiece, so sorry fer not askin', but I forged it into a Re-Legacy Weapon."

Whoaaa, amazing! If I pour strength into the handle, the outer edge expands outward and turns into an even bigger shield!
Ah, this is fun. While I was playing around flipping the gimmick on and off with a kachunk kachunk, Bilac smacked my shin with her hammer. Hey, stop that, I don't have any armor there, so that could easily be a fatal wound!

"Yo, as expected of a master craftsman!"

"Fufun, it's too early to worship me! Next is this!"

"Weeei!"

With a heavy thud, a blade that could be wielded with one hand but exuded an undeniable weight was placed onto the anvil.
It had a slightly different flavor from the Aspiring Blades of the Hero (Duxram), which felt unified as a piece of metal. This sword itself had a sea-colored single edge, reminiscent of a carnivorous monster's fang, with bone reinforced by steel.

"The Sea Devouring Sword (Blue Predator). Even I ain't used to handlin' materials from sea beasts, ya see. I had to use the crafting method of a different sword as a reference."

"It's got a nice weight to it. If I'm using it to accompany the shield, I have no complaints."

"And furthermoreeeee!"

"Weeeeeeei!"

"Are neither Sunraku-san nor Bilac Onee-chan tired from doing that desu wa?"

Isn't this basically what the Weei party-animal archetype is all about? Those who show fatigue drop out, and the one left standing at the end claims the title of the true Weei...!
I'd do it if there was a trophy involved, but if not, I don't really care.

"...Hey, Bilac."

"What is it?"

"By any chance, with this outfit... was this on purpose?"

What Bilac presented as the grand finale of her finished works was a helmet and a waist-guard that lavishly utilized materials from the Arctus Regalecus, the Giga-Oarfish.

The so-called "Lacedaemon Set" naturally mimicked the appearance of its material source, the Arctus Regalecus, to a certain extent.
But if we're referencing real-world history, I was now wearing a Lacedaemon Helm that looked suspiciously similar to the helmets used in a specific region during a specific era. And equipping the Lacedaemon Girdle, which felt less like a piece of armor and more like clothing with a bit of armor glued to it... when I suddenly took a look at myself.

Half-naked with a helmet, a cape, and a large round shield... No matter how you look at it, this is that Spartan thing, yes.

"Hey Emul, which do you think is better, a half-naked wrestler or a half-naked Spartan soldier?"

"I don't know what a 'Suparuta' is, but considering the basic premise is being half-naked, I think they're both perverts desu wa?"

"Yeah, you're right... Well, whatever."

The performance is actually good. Really good. I did bite my lip a bit when I learned that equipping the full set grants Super Armor against chip damage, but I'm not frustrated at all.
I'm constantly fighting with my back against the wall on the absolute edge anyway! Chip damage is a fatal wound for me, so getting hit isn't even a premise I can operate on!

"Emuuuul! We're going hunting!"

"Yes sir! Where to desu wa?"

"If I keep them waiting any longer they're probably going to get mad, so we're going to finish that errand."

The errand quest imposed on me as the next stage of the Unique Scenario EX "Vorpal Epic."
Receive, Coordinate, Transmit... the three Delta Devices. According to Vysache, the place where these key items reside is the Corpse of the Fruitless Fallen Ancient Castle.
It's a place where I don't have very fond memories—what with the shitty wolf updating my curse and getting stalled by the shitty dragon—but the area Rei-shi and I cleared back then was strictly the plains region.

As long as it's an "Ancient Castle," there naturally has to be a castle in this area. A fortress built during the Divine Age where mysterious monsters known as "Line-art Knights" supposedly appear, according to Rei-shi... That is exactly the place I need to head toward.

"So with that being said, I'll be putting these to use right away, Bilac. I might come back later to ask for repairs along with a review."

"Nn. Just make damn sure ya don't do somethin' foolish like breakin' 'em on yer first sortie. If ya do..."

I'll break you, Bilac's grip on her hammer seemed to silently declare. Emul and I hastily retreated from the workshop.

"That... was not a joke."

"Sunraku-san, please treat your weapons with care desu wa."

"Yeah..."

"Now then, what should we do from here?"

Currently, Emul and I were holding our breath in a back alley, waiting for them to pass by.

"Where'd he go!?"

"Ahhh, we lost him!"

"There was a rabbit! It was wearing clothes and it was super cute!"

"So he really was in Fifticia...!"

I had completely forgotten that the name "Sunraku" stood out in the worst way possible. Furthermore, Fifticia is a hub absolutely swarming with players who have invested a significant amount of time into this game.

It's late at night, so there probably won't be that many people around, hahaha... I was an idiot for being so optimistic! I got chased like crazy!

"So, what to do..."

"Awawawa..."

It's not like I hate being talked to; I could just brush them off with vague answers.
The problem is, if I get clumsily spotted, there will absolutely be people who follow me all the way to Barren .
The possibility of being stalked by hyenas thinking, "If I follow this guy, I might get a piece of a Unique Scenario too, right?" is absolutely not zero.
It's not that I hate party play, but I'm currently in the mood for a solo run. Strictly speaking, I'm not solo since an NPC (Emul) is with me, but the degree of mental exhaustion you get from dealing with the residents of this world (NPCs) versus dealing with Pioneers (Players) who know this is a game is entirely different.

"...Should I use it? No, but still."

I chose the Gender Inversion Chalice specifically because I anticipated situations like this, but the demerit on that thing is quietly extremely annoying.
The Blue Chalice's effect is gender inversion, and its demerit is that the inverted gender will not revert unless a specific condition is met: "Die and respawn."
At first glance, it doesn't seem like that harsh of a demerit, but the fact that I can't change back once I switch unless I die means that if I use it in this situation, I'll have to fight as a female character until I respawn.
And since my respawn point is Rabituza, if I die, I'll have to go through the exact same hassle all over again just to get to the Ancient Castle. Between a male body and a female body, it's obviously easier for me to fight using the male body I've been using for so long. Since this involves a Unique Scenario, there's a chance I'll end up fighting some bizarre monster, so I don't want to show any adventurous spirit in the wrong places.

No, wait, let's assess the situation. Currently, I have three options.
First is forcing my way through. There's a chance a few players might tag along, so I'd rather not pick this one, but since I haven't actually done anything wrong, there really shouldn't be any need for me to hide or run away in the first place.
Second is the Medjed Dash. Doing the exact same thing I did back in Thirdrema. However, the goal back then was to cause a distraction, which slightly conflicts with my current desire to avoid making waves.
Third is maintaining complete stealth and attempting an escape. It's not like every single player logged in is pulling an all-nighter. There will absolutely be a time window when the number of logged-in players drops. If I sneak out of the town during that window, a comfortable solo (excluding NPCs) play session is possible... but whether I like it or not, it consumes time.

"So, with all that said, I think I'll go with the fourth option."

I'd rather not think about it, but assuming the information that "Sunraku is in Fifticia" has already reached players in other areas, the difficulty of escaping Fifticia will only continue to rise.

If that's the case, I just need to change the premise itself.

"Emul, open a gate to Eleventar."

"Yes sir! Sunraku-san, you're sharp today desu wa!"

"You can even call me a tactician."

Given my outfit, I guess that makes me a shameless tactician? Hahaha, I'm absolutely gonna butcher Lycaon someday.

Author's Afterword
Fimbul... Fimbul... (Monster cry)

Q. The protagonist has so many weapons now that I'm getting confused.
A. The person writing this is the most confused of all. I'd be happy if you just read it with the mindset of, "Ah, right, this guy made a weapon like that."

There are actually quite a few players and clans who want to establish a connection with the highly-talked-about player "Sunraku," who has defeated two Unique Monsters.
Setting aside the clans that have formed alliances with Wolfgang—like "Black Wolf," "SF-Zoo," and "Library"—and "Team 10PM," who prioritize the frontline of standard progression rather than Uniques (where encounters are unstable based on the active hours of enrolled players)... the completely late-to-the-party "Knights Tempura" and the "Shining Knights of the Holy Shield" (who started moving because their Object of Worship showed interest) are quite frantically attempting to make contact with Sunraku.
However, the half-naked man in question is in exile in Rabituza, and the clan Wolfgang is a family-restaurant-gathering-style clan without a base, so they literally cannot make contact with him.

Or rather:
Sunraku: In Rabituza, so encounters are incredibly rare.
Akitsu Akane: Same as above.
Rust: Main game is NephiHolo, so she doesn't log into ShanFro very much.
Mold: Same as above.
Pencilgon: Even if you talk to her, she'll just fast-talk you into a corner.
Katzo: Recently had his private gaming time slashed because of the person who moved into the apartment next door.

It's a clan with an encounter difficulty roughly on par with a Dratini in the original Safari Zone.