Chapter 641: Tuned Up and Blooming

Games that allow this kind of character creation can generally be divided into two categories in the extreme.

───Namely, whether you can alter your appearance later on, or if you can't.

I previously thought ShanFro fell into the "cannot" side, but looking at Leviathan and Behemoth, it's a proposal from Ivory that I can jump on without hesitation.

The fact that Shangri-La Frontier allows for post-creation avatar modification—that might just be the best news for players, better than any walkthrough info.

"By real-life event, do you mean JGE?"

"Yeah, exactly. So I think there's probably a separate way to use this, but that's probably the reason we can't use it right now."

Well, spending the local currencyResults seems like the most likely method... hmm, but what to do.

"Well, let's just look at the edit screen and think about it."

Rei-shi was already in the middle of editing. She had entered the test tube looking quite tense, but immediately after, as the test tube plummeted downward at incredible speed, I had no idea what kind of face she was making... at the very least, that monster-faced helmet was completely expressionless.

Now then, let's take off my equipment and put it down for a sec...

"Alright, I'm gonna head out for a bitttttaaaaaahhhh!!!"

Shukooom! Dropping down with the kind of thrill-ride movement my cousin would love, my vision eventually adapted and went black...

......

............

『───Are you able to perceive this? I am currently transmitting information directly into your brain.』

Sounds scary, like I've got cables stabbed into my brain or something.

『There is no need for wired equipment just to control a single human, Sunraku.』

No, I wasn't worried about whether there were wires or not... Well whatever, for now I've got my eyes closed and it feels like I'm sinking in water. What should I do?

『There is no need to rush, Sunraku. A Pioneer's time seems infinite yet is finite... however, without leaving some leeway, culture cannot be nurtured.』

Too bad I'm the fastest Pioneer around.

『Fufufu, I understand perfectly, Sunraku. You are one who has reached an unparalleled speed... Gazing forward, striving to trample over hardships—that figure makes Ivoryme proud to have created you.』

.........I see, I kind of get the urge to want a pacifier now. But I'm standing on my own two feet here; I'll accept the goodwill, but I won't get spoiled by it.

『To a parent, a child is always a child, no matter their age. For better or worse, that never changes.』

Is that so... Oh, my body just appeared right before my eyes.

『The somatic hallucination effect has already been applied. Why don't you try rebuilding yourself using your own body?』

Somatic hallucination... Ah, so it's the same feeling as character creation.

Alright, let's get started. First off, something I've been thinking about for a while—I'm gonna make myself a bit more massive.

『Oh? You pride yourself on being the fastest, yet you intentionally want to enlarge your frame?』

I want core strength. There are no problems with my body up until now, but "good" and "better" are never equal.

If I want to control the Hellish Spinning Top Generator—I mean, the Vestige of the Raging Storm EmperorIdea=Gatleo・ExtremeSuperior—it's much easier to do all sorts of things with a somewhat sturdy build. I don't need Mold levels of muscle where the sheer bulk makes him look like a bodybuilder or something, but I do want muscle mass around the Light Heavyweight class. Considering the synergy with Iai Fist, arm length... nah, extending them a few centimeters should be fine, right?

『By synchronizing the modified data, you can execute a somatic hallucination equivalent to actually moving that body.』

Obviously I'll test it out. Hmm, actually moving it around feels weird. Even before considering the physique change, it just doesn't feel right. It means the balance as a character isn't very good. Lengthening my height... the weirdness got worse. Guess I stretched my arms too much.

Stretching the legs... hmm, not enough core. Then I'll bulk up the waist a bit more... Ah, it's the shoulders. They're sloping, so I'll change the skeletal structure......... hmm, this is...

『Height: 2 meters 60 centimeters. Weight: 182 kilograms. There are various reasons, but fundamentally, physical problems make this impossible to execute... You will get stuck.』

Ugh... well, I thought it was a bit much, especially since my head size stayed the same, turning me into some kind of mutant where the muscles completely ran out of control. That said, the core and limb balance feels the best it ever has, so what if I downsize this exact ratio back to a height of around 180cm?

『That is possible. If we shrink it down, it will look like this. Is that acceptable?』

Changing hand size, making the fingers slightly longer, the palms larger... Oh, I can change finger length individually? Adjusting the shape to be suitable for knife-hand strikes. Hmm, maybe a bit too big, no, if I thicken the wrists it should work.

『...You are tweaking it with incredible precision, Sunraku.』

If you compromise on this sort of thing, you'll regret it later. I recently learned you can boost durability with accessories... so even if my chance of getting hit goes up a bit, boosting my physical stats yields a larger ratio of benefits. Even with my old build, I covered my firepower with my weapons, and having a slender frame helped with evasion quite often. But lately, I've been using grappling—or rather, striking styles—as my main combat style, unlike back when I just spammed Reject. So I decided to take the plunge and raise my base physical specs.

『Referencing the skill system... I see, a heavily skewed nature that could be said to be almost entirely specialized in mobility. Especially the visually-based subjective time extension skills with a high usage count... Understood. Then, to you who is putting so much effort into body modification, let me propose a plan.』

A plan?

『Sunraku, Q.E.D. does not merely construct bodies. Yes, for example... it can also "enhance" specific parts. Following "Isana's" naming conventions, shall we call it Bouquet Puzzle? I will ask for the required amount of Results for Bouquet Puzzle Stage FiveRank Five... but for example, yes, by enhancing your eyeballs and optic nerves.』

It'll increase the output of the skills themselves?

『Yes, because those are skills. The art of wielding power beyond human intellect, born from the Moment Theory, using human intellect... A limited body modification. Naturally, if the physical specs before the modification are high, the final output will also increase.』

Hearing stuff like that suddenly gets me fired up. For now, this should be good for the avatar remodeling.

Overall, it's one size... no, about half a size larger. Let's do a final check while testing out the condition of this new body.

Punches are good, kicks are good, jump, step, ignore joint range of motion for a sec, backflip, somersault... Yup, alright, this is perfect.

『Then I shall commence the physical reconstruction...... Please make very good use of this new body.』

You bet.

............

......

"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I have truly obtained the ultimate body..."

"My viewpoint has gotten a bit higher, desu wa..."

"Hats don't talk, got it?"

I put the squirming headgear back on... Oh, Big Sis Exploding Green Peas is gone. Well, we're not in a party or anything, so there's no reason she'd need to stick around. Now then, where is Rei-shi?The fact that the test tube is here means she's probably already finished her character rebuild... I thought, as I looked around for her.

"U-Um............"

"Hm? Ah, Rei-shi, so you're...eeh?"

"............Uu."

Emerging from the shadow of some equipment was a figure looking quite different from before... Specifically, even accounting for my now-higher viewpoint, her height had dropped so much that I had to look down at her. No, it wasn't just her height; the muscles that must have supported that heavy armor had shrunk remarkably, replaced by an incomparably increased suppleness in her form.

"You changed your gender."

"Um, err, yes........."

The Armor of Twin Reason. Back when she was a male character, it covered her entire body, but now... around her stomach and thighs, it was made of a tights-like material. It wasn't exactly showing bare skin, but it gave off a highly exposed vibe...

"U-Um, when I changed my gender, it ended up looking like, this..."

"Eh, ah, yeah. I mean, it's a game! It's not like you're showing bare skin, so, yeah... well, yeah."

I've seen a ridiculous number of female characters with high-exposure outfits, but... how do I put this, having someone act so completely embarrassed right in front of me makes me feel... kinda bashful too.

Author's Afterword

The final piece that Heroine-chan was lacking... it was bashfulness...!!

And bashfulness exerts its maximum effect only when accompanied by an appropriate appearance...!!

A foolish plan...! Everything up until now was a foolish plan...!!

Even if she acts bashful while wearing solid knight armor, she just looks like a squirming humanoid monster...!!

No matter what anyone else thinks, the pose of "I'm embarrassed" is what's essential...!!

When equipped by a woman, the Armor of Twin Reason looks like armor is sprouting over a pair of tights...!!

Furthermore, since the defense of the tights portion is absurdly high, with Heroine-chan's stats, they are tights harder than steel (strictly speaking, it's just the armor's "membrane" that looks like tights).